


Storm the Sorrow

by WolfRunner326



Series: Vampire Series [1]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Human as Cattle, Kurapika is 12, Light Angst, Other, Prequel, Vampires, Why did I put down light angst?, no nen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25574104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfRunner326/pseuds/WolfRunner326
Summary: Kurapika wants to leave his village and discover knew things. However, when he runs away from his village, he is not prepared for the outside world. Prequel to Unleashed.
Series: Vampire Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024855
Comments: 41
Kudos: 36





	1. Kurta Village

**Author's Note:**

> Well I said I would post it and here it is! The prequel to Unleashed! This is about how Kurapika grows into the Chain-Assassin everyone knows and loves. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS RESPECTIVE OWNERS!

Chapter 1: Kurta Village

\----------------

Lukso was a relatively low populated province. In the center of it lies a giant forest with tall swirling trees. Those who did live in the province lived around the forest and not going in unless necessary. Traversing the forest was difficult and one can easily get lost. Since people believed the area to be uninhabited, they went around it rather than through it. This allowed the Kurtas to live in peace.

Kurta Village was a small village hidden deep in the forest. It was next to a creek which provided clean water and fish. Berries and fruit were grown as well. There were only one hundred and twenty-nine inhabitants in the village who knew and cared for each other. People never left the village, seeing no need to. It was a peaceful lifestyle that had few dangers.

Kurapika absolutely hated it.

The village was drowning in ennui. Nothing new was discovered and the days blurred as it always felt the same. Kurapika wanted to learn, he wanted to see. This often led him running off into the forest to discover new things. Book in hand, he’d go out and categorize local flora and fauna, watching how they interact with each other and take notes. It drove Elder Horn and the sentinels of the village crazy as Kurapika was able to come up with creative ways to escape. He was often warned that the outside was dangerous, and outsiders would want to cause him harm. Kurapika didn’t care what superstitious old people had to say.

He didn’t first hear about vampires until he was six. His best friend, Pairo, told him about them.

“Vampires?”

“Yeah, Mido told me about them.” Pairo explained as they made paper boats by the river, “Apparently, that’s why we hide so that the vampires don’t get us. They’re monsters that disguise themselves as humans. They have hollow teeth that can suck the blood right out of you!”

  
“Mido’s just trying to scare you. It’s because people would find our Scarlet Eyes fascinating.” Kurapika told him.

“Yeah I know.” Pairo finished folding his boat and started covering it in wax. Kurapika had already finished his boat and he was waiting for Pairo. Once Pairo was done, they took their boats to running water. They grinned at each other in excitement.

“Ready? Set, go!” They said in unison and put their boats in the water. They cheered as the boats made their way downstream with the help of the current. The boys followed them eagerly, cheering for their respective boat to beat the other. Pairo started to falter before he tripped and fell.

“Pairo!” Boats forgotten, Kurapika turned and raced back to his friend. Pairo was born sickly, he had a limp and his eyesight was not good. Kurapika knelt down and helped his friend back up.

“Are you alright?” Kurapika asked.

“Of course, he’s not!” A new voice cut in. The pair turned to see Mido and his two friends walking up, “He’s a little weakling!”

“Shut up Mido!” Kurapika stood and faced the bully. Pairo was always being picked on due to his limp and Kurapika would defend him every time.

“It’s the truth, Kurapika! You can’t protect him from that!” Pairo tried to calm Kurapika down, but Kurapika was having none of it. His eyes had already turned red.

“You’re a liar, Mido! You lie about everything. Like the vampires! You can’t scare me with that stuff, Mido! There’s no such things as vampires!”

“I’m not a liar! There are vampires! My dad told me about them!” Mido sneered back.

“Your dad is a liar too then!” Kurapika snapped. At that, Mido’s eyes also turned red.

“Don’t talk about my dad like that!”

“Come on, Kurapika. Let’s just go.” Pairo tugged at Kurapika’s sleeve. Kurapika gave Mido one last glare before he turned to walk away. Mido felt the need to have the last laugh, however.

“You know what else he told me? He told me they’ll eat you because you keep running into the forest. And then they’ll eat Pairo because he’s weak.”

At that, Kurapika stopped. He didn’t care what Mido said about him, but he would leave Pairo alone. With a yell, Kurapika turned around and charged at Mido. Mido wasn’t expecting it and couldn’t do much as Kurapika tackled him to the ground and started punching his face. Mido’s friends rushed to get Kurapika off him. Pairo limped back to the village to get help. Mido kneed Kurapika in the stomach and push Kurapika to the side before he punched Kurapika back. Kurapika felt blood spill from his nose but he ignored it. He smashed his right fist into Mido’s stomach, causing Mido to gasp for air. Kurapika straddled Mido and continued to pummel him. He wasn’t sure how long this went on. But eventually large hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away from Mido.

“Kurapika! Kurapika stop it!” A voice he recognized as his dad’s shouted at him. Mido got up and lunged for Kurapika when another adult stopped him. Kurapika tried to punch Mido again but his father held him back.

“Enough, Kurapika! You need to calm down!” His father dragged him back to the village. Pairo watched sadly as the fighters were returned to their homes.

\----------------

The cotton swab dabbed lightly on Kurapika’s face, disinfecting the wounds. Kurapika winced every time but his mother ignored his complaints.

“Maybe this will teach you not to get into fights.” His mother chided him as she cleaned. Kurapika fumed but said nothing. He knew he was in a lot of trouble. Once she was done, his mother sighed, cupping Kurapika’s face gently. “My beautiful boy. You need to control that temper of yours.”

“I know, mom…” He said sheepishly. She let go of his face and patted the seat next to hers. He cautiously sat down next to his mother as instructed.

“Now, tell me what happened. You normally don’t let Mido get you this riled up.”

Kurapika told her what happened. How Mido tried to scare them with vampires, how he said Kurapika and Pairo were going to die. His mother furrowed her brows and frowned at the word ‘vampire’. When he finished, she sighed.

“Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean you should resort to violence. What Mido did was wrong, what you did was worse. You’re going to apologize to him tomorrow.”

“But -“

“And no more exploring the forest until I say otherwise!”

“But-“ Kurapika tried to argue but his mother gave him ‘the look’ and all arguments faded from his mind. “Yes mom…”

At that, she wrapped up her son in a hug, “There’s my good boy! Now, go to bed.”

“Hey mom? Have you ever heard of a vampire?” Kurapika asked her.

“What makes you say that?”

“You make a thinking face when you get worried.” He explained. She sighed at the explanation.

“You’re too observant sometimes…” She started. His mother then made the thinking face again as she best tried to word it in a way as to not scare her son, “Vampires are a story in the village. Whether or not they are real, I can’t say.”

“Really?!” Kurapika asked excitedly, “Tell me more!” Kurapika demanded and begged her with wide grey eyes. Helpless, his mother sighed and told him about the legend of vampires. Creatures that used to be human and then became monsters who craved human blood. They kept humans locked up so they could feed from them whenever they pleased. They found Kurta blood particularly tasty and found their Scarlet Eyes beautiful to look at. Kurapika bombarded his mother with questions that she didn’t know the answers to: How did vampires come to be? Why do they like Kurta blood? How do you kill one? To that she said the only weaknesses she knew of was that vampires couldn’t be in sunlight or they’d burn and the oil of the ojigi plant was toxic to them. Before he could pester her with more questions, his mother shooed him off to bed.

\----------------

Vampires faded out of Kurapika’s interest as time passed. They merely became stories as there was no proof that they existed. Kurapika went back to studying the forest. As he grew older, the more confident he felt in navigating the forest. He went farther away from the village each time to see what else he could find. When he was eleven, he stumbled upon something he never saw before.

It was a tent. It was man-made from fabrics Kurapika didn’t recognize. It was set up in front of what was a firepit. The tent was obviously many years old as plants were growing in and around it. The owner abandoned it long ago. Excited but cautious, Kurapika crept up to the tent. He pulled the flap back to see the interior of the tent. A sleeping bag took up most of the tent. Next to were two books, one that looked like a journal. Kurapika grabbed them both and hurried back to the village.

It was nighttime when Kurapika got back from his excursion. He sneaked past the guards at the village entrance and made his way to Pairo’s home. Finding a small pebble, Kurapika chucked it into his window.

“Pairo.” He whispered, not too loudly so that everyone could hear, but not too softly so Pairo couldn’t. “Pairo, wake up! I found something!” Minutes passed before Pairo poked his sleepy head out the window.

“What’s up, Kurapika?” Pairo asked sleepily.

“I found something interesting. Follow me to the hideaway!” Kurapika beamed excitedly. Pairo blinked twice before sighing in defeat.

“Alright, but if Elder Horn catches us, this is your idea.” Pairo warned. Kurapika shrugged it off and ran to their hideout. In order to get away from Mido and other annoying people in the village, Kurapika and Pairo found a hideaway outside the village. It was a hole in a giant tree trunk that was hard to spot unless you were looking for it. Kurapika practically bounded into the hideout with a tired Pairo stumbling after him.

“So, what is this all about?” Pairo yawned as he asked Kurapika. The blond was digging through his stash to find them.

“When I was out in the forest today, I found a tent!” Kurapika told him excitedly.

“A tent?”

“Uh-huh! I have no idea how long its been out there. Several years at least. But when I looked inside the tent, I found…” He trailed off so he could reveal the books dramatically, but he couldn’t find them. Pairo raised an eyebrow.

“You found?”

“Gimme a second…There they are! I found these!” He held up the books under Pairo’s nose. He took the book and studied it.

“Books? What are they about?”

“I have no idea! It’s written in a language I don’t know!” Kurapika told him, “I think it’s called ‘Common’. It’s a language that everyone knew before we went into hiding.” Pairo’s eyes light up.

“My dad has a dictionary on that! It’s really old, but that will work!”

Kurapika and Pairo spent the next year learning common and translating the books. Kurapika would write all his notes in his book and eventually, he was able to read the books. The first one was a children’s story about a guy called ‘Dino’ who goes on adventures. It became his favorite story. As he suspected, second book was a journal. It belonged to a person who ran away from their previous life. They came to Lukso forest to hide from their pursuers and quickly got lost. By the end of the journal, it became obvious to Kurapika that the person did not survive the journey.

One day, when he went to the hideaway, he found the books gone. He tore the place apart to find them, but they were not there. Kurapika’s eyes burned angrily as he realized what happened. He ran back to the village to confront Elder Horn.

‘Horn’ was not his real name, but the children called the Elder that. It started when Kurapika pointed out that his hair looked like a horn. Elder Horn tried to stop the nickname from spreading but conceded when Kurapika suggested other nicknames such as ‘Elder Target’ for the scar on his forehead.

Kurapika burst into Elder Horn’s house. Elder Horn was sitting down drinking tea as if he were expecting him.

“Where are they?” Kurapika growled. Elder Horn put down his cup and then looked at Kurapika.

“Ah good morning. You’re up rather early –“

“Where. Are. They?!”

“Where are what?” Elder Horn asked innocently.

“You know what!” Kurapika snapped.

“That temper of yours is going to cause you problems in life if you don’t better control it.” He took another sip of his tea and continued. “They’re not here.”

“Where –“ Kurapika started but Elder Horn continued.

“I will not tell you. Your adventures into the forest have always been dangerous, but I don’t want those books of your getting ideas in your head.”

“That doesn’t give you the right to take something that isn’t yours!”

“I have the right when the safety of the village is at risk!” Elder Horn’s patience for Kurapika was quickly waning, “Your rash actions put the lives of everyone here in jeopardy! If someone were to discover you, they could easily follow you back home. You are no longer permitted to leave the village.”

“You’re not answering my question: WHERE ARE MY BOOKS?!” Kurapika yelled.

“I burned them. You will never see those books again.” At Elder Horn’s answer, Kurapika’s temper peaked. He slammed his fist into the wall.

“I HATE THIS PLACE! AND I HATE **YOU**!” Kurapika screamed at Elder Horn before running off. He pushed past several onlookers who were investigating the commotion. He saw his parents and Pairo. When they called out his name, he ignored them. The village became a blur as he ran out as fast as he could. Kurapika didn’t really care where he was running, as long as it was away. He didn’t know how long he was running when he tripped on a tree root and he fell to the ground. Kurapika let out a cry of rage and began kicking the tree root. He then dropped to his knees and began punching it over and over, imagining it as Elder Horn’s face. He hated him! He hated him! He hated him! Stupid Elder Horn is just scared, and he takes it out on him! He just wanted to learn new things! Why is that such a crime?! Eventually, he calmed down a bit and Kurapika sat up panting. A throbbing in his hands revealed his knuckles were bleeding. He pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them, glaring at the world angrily.

The light began to fade when Kurapika started to move again. His stupid tantrum would have scared his parents and he didn’t want that. He’d explain what happened to his mother and she’d help solve everything. He stood up and looked around. Kurapika searched for familiar landmarks but found none. Horror started to sink in Kurapika’s gut. He climbed a tree to get a better vantage point. Kurapika searched desperately for something that looked familiar. There was nothing.

He was lost.


	2. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here's chapter 2! Things get more exciting in this chapter! Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS!

**Chapter 2: Lost**

\----------------

“Okay. Don’t panic. That’s how you get even more lost…” Kurapika said to himself. He needed to figure something out. He doubted the villagers would go out this far in search for him. He’d have to start making his way back and hope he’d find a familiar area. He carefully climbed down and went to the tree root that he tripped on. It was dark and he couldn’t see any footprints. Kurapika looked around again. The forest was more intimidating at night. The swirling trees seemed to reach out to grab him. The animal noises sounded more like they were after him. Slowly circling him until –

 _‘Don’t think like that! I can do this!’_ Kurapika shook his head and slapped his cheeks to get control of himself. ‘ _First, I need a way to track where I’ve been._ ’ He bent down and found a pointed rock. He went up to a tree and made an arrow in the direction he planned on heading.  
Luckily, his eyes adjusted to the dark over time as he walked. Every now and then he would mark a tree and continued. He thought about his family back home and how they would react to this. Pairo and his mother would be worried sick and probably demand a search of the whole forest. His father would be the voice of reason and suggest a less aggressive method. No doubt Elder Horn would use this as an excuse to keep him trapped in the village again. He could already hear the choir of ‘I told you so’s’ he’d receive when he would get back to the village. Kurapika rolled his eyes at the thought.

As his anger faded, Kurapika begrudgingly admitted that Elder Horn had a point. He found the tent. It was obviously from an outsider. Who was to say that someone else could enter the forest? He was still angry that Elder Horn destroyed his books (And his notebook that he’s had for years, that was the worst crime), but instead of running off like a brat, he should have tried to work out a compromise. Found a way to allow him to explore more safely. Now he’ll probably never be allowed outside the village again. Kurapika shook his head at the thought. No, that’s not true. Elder Horn is a curmudgeonly old goat, but he still had a sense of fairness. He’d probably realize that he went too far and apologize. They can reach an understanding somehow.

A gurgle broke Kurapika out of his thoughts. His stomach was demanding food. When was the last time he ate? This is one time that he could say ‘I told you so’ to Elder Horn. His years exploring the forest gave him knowledge on what was safe to eat. He found a berry tree and ate some right off the tree. He grabbed some more and pocketed them for later consumption.

Kurapika had lost all sense of time. How long had he been wandering the woods? If he couldn’t find his way back to the village soon, Kurapika would have to find somewhere to sleep and continue in the morning. He went over to a tree and was about to mark it when he saw it already had a carving in it. Was he going around in circles? He rubbed his fingers across the carving in confusion. It wasn’t his. It was in a design he’d never seen before. It was a circle with triangles in the center that made it look like teeth. The mark looked worn down, it had been there for some time. But for how long, Kurapika couldn’t say. He moved on from the carving, it would be a good landmark.

He saw a break in the trees and ran towards it excitedly. As he went through, he saw it wasn’t a clearing in the forest at all. Somehow, Kurapika reached the edge of the forest. He could the sky unimpeded for the first time. The moon shone brightly with the addition of the stars. What was most shocking was the ground. In front of him was a large stretch of black rock. He bent down to get a closer look and saw it was a bunch of rocks crushed together. It went on for miles and it had white lines in the middle of it at regular intervals. Kurapika tried to figure out what it was and where it came from. Did other humans make it?

Without trees in the way, Kurapika could see for what felt like miles ahead of him. He saw shapes in the distance. They were too angular to be natural. It must be another village! Even if Elder Horn didn’t want him exploring, his discovery of where other humans were located was valuable information. If only he had his notebook. There didn’t seem to be any lights on, was it abandoned?

A loud noise suddenly came from behind. Kurapika turned around and saw two spheres of light moving rapidly towards him. He held his arm out to shield his eyes. The lights moved away and Kurapika could see they were attached to a large metal cart. It rumbled loudly for a second before it stopped. A self-moving cart? How was that accomplished? A door opened close to where the lights were shining, and a man stepped out. He turned his attention to Kurapika angrily.

“Goddamn it, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you want to get killed? What are you doing standing in the middle of the road?!” The man yelled at him. It took a moment for Kurapika to realize that the man was speaking Common. He had to quickly translate it into Kurta and could account for most of the words. So, the long black rock was a road? It didn’t look like any road Kurapika had ever seen. The man blinked suddenly as if he realized something, and he got a better look at Kurapika.

“Wait a second… Hey Zetsk! Get out here!” He called back to the cart. From the other side, another man came out. He was squatter and rounder than the man from before.

“Bloody hell…Is that a feral human, Gashta?” He asked the other man.

Human?

“It sure is. Just as we were dropping off our latest haul to Kakin.” Gashta answered and the man named Zetsk grinned. Kurapika froze as he saw that the man’s canines were far longer than they should have been. He noticed that the men’s skin was far too pale to be healthy and one word sprung into Kurapika’s mind.

Vampire.

“Hey there. Are you lost?” Gashta called out to him in a soothing tone. He held his hands out in front of him to show he wasn’t a threat. He made slow movements towards Kurapika. His brain seemed to restart and Kurapika burst into a run back into the forest. He didn’t get far as large arms grabbed him from behind. Kurapika bit the arm that was closest to him. The vampire yowled in pain and dropped him. Kurapika started running again.

“Get it Zetsk! It’s escaping!” This time, Kurapika was tackled to the ground. He struggled and kicked at the vampire holding him down, but it was useless. His arms were yanked painfully behind his back, causing him to cry out.

“I got it! Get the restraints!” The vampire on top of him called out. Soon Gashta came back with cuffs. Kurapika still squirmed underneath the vampire.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Gashta asked as he handed the cuffs to Zetsk. Zetsk went to work putting Kurapika’s wrists into the cuff.

“No idea. It’s too young to tell.” Zetsk grunted, “Strange though, humans this young aren’t normally on their own. Hm?” When he finished restraining Kurapika, he grabbed Kurapika’s hair and forced him to look up. Kurapika snarled at the vampire in response. The vampire’s eyes widened in shock.

“Holy shit…That’s a Kurta!”

“What?” Gashta came to the front to see Kurapika’s eyes, “No way.”

“Quick! Get a video!” Zetsk shouted. Gashta pulled out a rectangular object and pointed it at Kurapika.

“Why a video?”

“Because humans eyes turn red with flash. A video is also harder to photoshop. If it decides to stop having its eyes red, we have proof.” Zetska explained as he hauled Kurapika to his feet. Kurapika kicked wildly with his feet. He managed to kick Zetsk hard in the shin. The vampire grunted in pain while his partner laughed.

“That’s a wild one! Better restrain its feet too in the truck. I’m going to see if there are others around.” Gashta noted. He put the device back in his pocket and headed towards the forest. Kurapika was actually grateful he was lost. They couldn’t find the village now.

“Yeah. I’ll stay in the back too.” Kurapika’s cries increased as he dragged towards the metal cart now known as a truck. No! He didn’t want this! He didn’t want to be taken from his home! Kurapika was just upset when he said he hated it. He didn’t mean it!

“ _Let me go!_ ” Kurapika shouted angrily. He unconsciously spoke in his native tongue.

“Easy there. Do you even speak Common?” The vampire asked him. Kurapika didn’t answer. He decided to play dumb. Zetsk shrugged. “Well, that’s Kakin’s problem, not mine.” He opened the back of the truck, and Kurapika saw four other humans inside. Like him, their arms were restrained, but they were in front of their bodies and were chained to the floor. They all looked up and watched wearily as the vampire dragged Kurapika to the back.

“You get the special seat, kid. I don’t trust you enough to uncuff your hands.” Kurapika was shoved into a seat with a harness. The vampire went to cuff his feet and got a kick to the face in the process. Kurapika heard a satisfying crack as he broke something. His satisfaction was short lived as Zetsk gave him a punch to the gut. Kurapika curled in on himself as the wind was knocked out of him. While he was stunned, the vampire finished restraining him. His feet were cuffed to the floor. His wrists were linked to the wall behind him and the harness was put over him and tightened. Kurapika glared at the vampire with all the hate he could muster. The vampire actually took a step back.

“Damn, those eyes are weird.” Zetsk noted as his partner came back. “Any luck?”

“Nothing. This one must have lost its family somewhere.” Gashta guessed. Zetsk grunted in acknowledgement. They didn’t want to spend too much time searching at the moment.

“We’ll drop these guys off and we’ll look tomorrow.” Zetsk suggested. He sat down on an empty seat.

“Good idea.” Gashta then exited the truck. Later the cart roared to life again and Kurapika could feel it moving towards its destination with him in it. He tested his restraints. They didn’t budge. Kurapika’s mind started planning at lightning speed. If the legends were true, then they were taking him somewhere were they can drink his blood over and over again. That meant they’d have to let him of the restraints sometime. Kurapika looked at the other occupants of the truck. One held his head in his trembling hands, making sentences what Kurapika guessed were prayers. A man and a woman who looked to be siblings looked around. Their eyes were like Kurapika’s as they still had that fire in them. The last man looked tired. Zetsk the vampire watched all of the humans with a suspicious eye, especially Kurapika. He was surprised to see that the vampire’s nose had already stopped bleeding.

The truck started to slow down and then stopped completely. It still rumbled and vibrated. Kurapika could hear voices from the other side.

“Howzit Gashta? Where’s Zetsk?”

“He’s in the back. You should have people with man-catchers ready. We got a wild one in the back.” Gashta greeted.

“Alright. I’ll let ‘em know. How many you bringing in this time?”

“Five.”

“Gotcha. Have a good night.” After that, the truck sped up again, though not as fast as the first time. Kurapika suspected they were close to their destination.

Once again, the truck made a stop. Zetsk stood up and went over to the door. Kurapika saw other vampires on the other side, but he couldn’t tell how many. He guessed at least four. They all had long poles with a semicircle on the end.

“You’re looking uglier than usual, Zetsk.” One of the vampires greeted him.

“Yeah, I know. We got a wild one in the back, Furykov.”

“So I’ve heard. Any others we have to worry about?”

“Two, but they shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

“Alright, we’ll get the easier ones out first.” Kurapika watched as the two men were escorted off the truck and into a large building. Then the group worked on the siblings. They pushed the poles onto their necks and torso, effectively pinning them to the wall as they untied them. Finally, the one called Furykov stepped into the truck and stared at Kurapika.

“You didn’t tell me you caught a Kurta!” He called out. There were murmurs from the outside.

“It was a freak accident. It was wandering in the middle of the road!” Zetsk gloated.

“Heh. You should have come up with a cooler story. Right, get its neck, chest, and legs. Once it’s out of the harness, Ridge will put the catch pole around the neck and then we’ll ease up.” The vampire instructed.

The next few minutes were spent untying Kurapika from the truck and restraining him so they could drag him to the building. They moved as a unit, pinning Kurapika with the poles. while they undid his restraints. One of the vampires accidentally got too close to Kurapika and he bit him, nearly tearing off his ear. Eventually, they attached the catch pole around Kurapika’s neck.

“Okay, on three, we all let go. Ridge, you ready?”

“Yes sir.”

“Okay. One, two, three!” Suddenly the poles holding Kurapika were removed. Kurapika pushed himself out of the truck. He didn’t make it far as a pressure on his neck pushed him to the ground. Furykov grabbed Kurapika’s wrists again and pulled him up.

“You weren’t kidding. Forget feral, this human’s rabid. You okay Tonpa?” The one called Tonpa gave a thumbs up, it sent mix messages as the hand was still covered in blood. “Go get your payment. Catch you later Zetsk.”

“It kicks.” Zetsk warned as he walked off.

Once inside, Kurapika was stripped and forced into loose pants. He was then strapped into a leather chair. He saw out of the corner of his eye a vampire walk up to him. His eyes flew to the item in the vampire’s hands. It was a long metal poker with a brand at the end. The brand was glowing orange from heat. Kurapika began thrashing wildly, shouting and cursing at them in Kurta futilely. It seemed to be in slow motion as he watched the brand come closer to him before it was pressed onto his left bicep. The sound was what Kurapika noticed first. Then the smell. Then finally, the pain set in. Kurapika howled loudly. The poker was held there for what felt like an eternity before it was removed. Kurapika slumped, panting as he recovered from the branding. A cold cloth was then wiped across the area, cleaning the area and soothing the pain a bit. It was then covered in a cotton bandage with antibiotics on it. During this time, he heard vampires making comments on him.

“Human 71693. Approximately 13 years old. That means it’s a J category. Height: 152cm. Weight: 47kg. Gender: Male. Hair Color: Blonde. Eye Color: Scarlet currently. Actual eye color unknown. Temperment: Wild. Doesn’t seem to understand Common. Recommend immediate transfer to Benjamin’s Facility –“

“Hold it.” A female voice interrupted the notes. Everyone in the room turned as beautiful woman with fair hair walk in. Kurapika looked at her through the fringe of his hair tiredly. The woman was beautiful with an angular face. Her eyes were icy blue. She wore a beautiful pale blue dress and had her blonde hair tied up in a fancy style. She looked out of place in the dingy building. She stopped and studied Kurapika. Kurapika merely glared back.

“He stays.” She told them. The one with the bleeding ear stepped up.

“Lady Camilla. That is much too dangerous! This is an animal! He has already injured several of us –“

“So, you think this boy is uncontrollable based on the accounts of a few negligent vampires?” Camilla snapped at him. Tonpa took a step back in embarrassment. He was one of the ‘negligent’ vampires. “That’s one of the rarest breeds of human alive. I will not give Benjamin a such a prize so easily.”

“Ma’am, I have to agree with my subordinate’s assessment on the situation. It is my professional opinion that this human is beyond our facility’s capabilities to handle properly.” The commander said in a serious tone. Camilla looked at him distastefully.

“Your professional opinion has been heard and considered, Furykov. The boy stays.” Her tone left little argument and she walked up to Kurapika who eyed her warily. She reached out and grabbed his chin. Kurapika tried to pull away but her strength was beyond what should have been possible. She forced Kurapika to look deep into her eyes. She admired Kurapika’s Scarlet Eyes lovingly.

“You are going to give me such prestige and power, my beautiful golden goose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- While Kurapika may not know about certain things for a while, I'm probably going to limit his descriptions of them at times because it'll drive me bonkers.  
> \- The symbol Kurapika found on the tree means hunters are nearby.  
> \- Man-Catchers are a real thing! Although the original version was a lot more sadistic, Japan's police force has a more gentle version that they use to restrain suspects. I'm using those man-catchers, not the pointy painful ones from the 1800s  
> \- The working title of this story was "Tonpa Gets Traumatized By A 12 Year Old Boy."


	3. Welcome to Kakin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally posted this chapter on Unleashed! That was embarrassing! Oops. Anyways, I'm going to add bits of information at the beginning of each chapter for a little while. I put a lot of effort into the inner workings of Reeducation Centers, and I really want to show it, but may not always be able to do it in a natural way. I hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS!

**Chapter 3: Welcome to Kakin**

\----------------

**Kakin Reeducation Center Human Categories**

There are three categories feral humans are placed in when sent to a reeducation center  
J – Juvenile: Ages 10-18  
A – Adult: Ages 19-54  
E – Elder: Ages 55-

Feral humans caught under the age of 10 are deemed more malleable and sent directly to farms.

\----------------

Furykov and Tonpa studied J-71693 with worry. After they released the human into the pen, they expected it to attack again, but instead it fell asleep in the mess hall. It was assumed that the Kurta slept during the night, and they would have to adjust his sleep schedule. Camilla had spent a small fortune to keep the existence of the Kurta a secret to her siblings. The only members of the Hui Guo Rou who knew were Camilla and her father. While that reduced some security risks, Furykov had no idea how to proceed.

“How’s the ear?” He asked Tonpa. Tonpa grabbed his ear and pulled.

“It’s healed.” Tonpa informed him.

“That’s good.”

“Any ideas?”

“None. He didn’t seem to understand Common, and I don’t even know what language he’s speaking in. That will make the domestication process difficult.”

“We can teach him Common.” Tonpa suggested. Furykov stroked his beard in consideration.

“The idea has merit, but we’d to bring in an expert to help with that and that could take weeks…” Furykov trailed off as he thought about it. “Very well. You’ll start teaching J-71693. I’ll tell Camilla that we need a linguist.”

“What?! Why me?!” Tonpa cried out.

“It was your idea wasn’t it? Also, you know what he’s capable of.” Furykov smiled and clapped Tonpa on the back as he walked off. Tonpa suddenly felt sick. He now regretted speaking up.

\----------------

Kurapika didn’t think he would be able to sleep, but once they brought him into the area where the humans were kept, exhaustion caught up with him and he fell asleep. His sleep was surprisingly dreamless, which he was grateful for. He was woken up by someone shouting at him. He opened his eyes and looked up at the culprit. It was the guard whose ear he bit off. Tonpa he remembered other guards calling him.

“You need to take a shower.” He told him slowly. Kurapika didn’t say anything, just blinked sleepily. It took him a moment to mentally translate what the man was telling him. A shower? That was a word he didn’t know. The guard sighed in annoyance and tried again.

“You need to get clean.” Tonpa tried to emphasize his point by miming him washing himself. Then it clicked for Kurapika. A shower must be something similar to a bath. Tonpa let out a groan and then gestured him to follow. Kurapika did feel dirty and he decided to follow without argument.

Tonpa made J-71693 walk in front of him. He didn’t trust the human not to try something behind his back. The look in the Kurta’s eyes was terrifying. Even without the Scarlet Eyes, J-71693 was studying him, trying to find any weaknesses. Tonpa had worked with many humans in his life, but this one seemed to be a whole other level. That intelligence combined with that rage… Tonpa unconsciously grabbed his ear. They should have sent this one to Benjamin.

Kurapika was led to a tiled room with large metal pipes on the ceiling leading to circular metal cones. It was obvious that water was brought in through the pipes and then fell on the human through the cone. An interesting way to bathe. He turned to Tonpa and stared at him pointedly. Tonpa seemed to realize what Kurapika was demanding and immediately balked.

“Oh no, I’m not leaving you alone for a minute.” He told Kurapika. Kurapika just kept staring at him. “You might as well get started because you’re not getting any privacy.” The staring continued. Tonpa stared back. After a few seconds, Tonpa backed down and turned away.  
“How’s this?” He asked. Kurapika decided that was all he was going to get and began to undress himself.

The bandage was still on his left bicep. The brand still hurt, but he refused to take the bandage off. Seeing that mark was something he couldn’t stand. He studied the piping in front of him and turn a knob. He made a noise at the sudden coldness as water spilled onto his head. After a minute, the water started to warm up. They managed to find a way to heat large amounts of water? He wondered how much effort it took to do that. Kurapika put aside the thought for now and focused on cleaning himself. He grabbed a washcloth and removed the mud and grime from his body. After that, he found a bottle of oil that he believed was meant for his hair. He poured an amount onto his hand and worked it into his hair… and then he felt something.

He pulled it out of his hair and realized it was a seed. It probably got tangled in his hair when he fell in the forest. He washed it off in the water and gasped when he discovered it was an ojigi seed. Oil from an ojigi plant is one of the vampires’ weaknesses in the legend! He had not seen any vampires move around during the day, and the building he was in had no windows. That led him to conclude that vampires being weak to sunlight was true. That meant there was a chance that ojigi oil could work too. A plan started to form in Kurapika’s head.

Tonpa heard the gasp and turned around to see the human staring at something in his hand. “Hey! What do you have there?” He demanded. Kurapika’s fingers automatically curled around the seed, protecting it. If it was discovered, they would take the seed away and his one hope would be taken away! He glared at Tonpa, demanding he stay back. Tonpa didn’t listen and walked over to Kurapika. He grabbed Kurapika’s wrist with one hand and tried to pry away his fingers with the other, “Show me, damn it!”

Kurapika struggled to keep his fingers shut. The vampire couldn’t see what was in his hand! He refused! Kurapika cried out as one by one, his fingers were pried away to reveal…nothing. Tonpa blinked in confusion. Was the human trying to make him paranoid? Kurapika was confused as well. He could still feel the seed in his hand, but it wasn’t there. Tonpa sighed and let go of Kurapika.

“Just hurry up!” He snapped as he faced the doorway again. Kurapika looked back to his hand, the seed was there.

\----------------

As much as he wanted to solve the mystery of the disappearing seed, Kurapika had other things to worry about. After he finished cleaning, Tonpa led him to a small room away from everyone else. Kurapika refused at first but realized that if Tonpa was going to try anything, he would have done it by now. It would be best to play along and get used to everything that was happening. He’d find a way to grow the ojigi plant and kill all these vampires eventually.

The room was bare; it only contained a desk, two chairs, and a board. Kurapika cautiously sat down in the seat facing the desk. Tonpa closed the door with a sigh. He had no idea how to teach! Granted, this human was smarter than most, he still wasn’t sure how to go about this. Tonpa decided to start simple.

Tonpa gestured to himself. “Tonpa.” He said in a clear voice. Kurapika merely stared at him. The guard was telling him his name, as if he cared. Why was he doing this? Tonpa tried again, “Tonpa. My name is Tonpa.” Kurapika put his head in his arms. He didn’t have the energy to deal with this moron. Tonpa growled when J-71693 just ignored him. He slammed his hand on the table. The human lifted his head up in surprise. “I AM TONPA!” Finally, it clicked in Kurapika’s head: they were trying to teach him Common! They didn’t know he could understand them. Apparently, they don’t have anyone who is good at teaching, so he was stuck with this lout.

Kurapika pointed at him. “Tonpa.” He echoed. Tonpa exhaled with relief. He was making progress. Okay, now what?

Tonpa pointed at Kurapika and said “Human.” Kurapika rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long day…

\----------------

Kurapika ignored the food in front of him in favor of planning. He had ripped a hole in the collar of his shirt and hid the seed in there for the moment, but he needed to find a way to plant and grow the seed. So far, Kurapika hasn’t seen any ways to go outside, but he has only just arrived. Another thing was even if he had optimal conditions in which to grow the plant, it would take months until it reached a state which he could extract the oil. Even then, he’d have to find a way to poison all the vampires at once. Kurapika rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He knew nothing of this world and that just made everything harder. Kurapika’s immediate goal was to find out more about this place. Then he could figure out how to get out of here.

A noise in front of him had Kurapika lift his head out of his hands. A girl with green eyes and hair sat in the seat in front of him. The brand of her arm revealed her to be one of the other humans in the facility. She smiled warmly at him.

“I’m Ponzu.” She introduced herself. Kurapika was wary. Even though she was in the same situation he was in, he still needed to be careful.

“Kurapika.” He responded.

“I saw you come in this evening. You really gave Tonpa a scare.” She said. Ponzu sounded amused by that fact.

“He doesn’t understand Common.” A new voice said. They turned to see the siblings that were brought in with him come up.

“Lee.” The boy said.

“Maylin.” The girl said.

“Nice to meet you.” Ponzu said. They also sat down.

“We were in the truck with him as well. He broke the hunter’s nose as well. It was pretty funny.” Lee said.

“When were you caught?” Maylin asked Ponzu.

“Three weeks ago. I was scavenging for supplies.” Ponzu told them.

“So, what do you know about this place?” Lee asked. Kurapika had a hard time not showing his interest, deciding to eat his food to feign ignorance. He wanted to know as well.

“Kakin is the number one reeducation company in the world… So they say. From what I’ve seen, there are only six guards and usually less than thirty humans here at any given time. Including you three, we now have thirteen humans at the moment.” Ponzo took a bite out of her food once she finished her explanation. Only six guards? So, including the blonde lady from earlier, Kurapika only had to poison seven vampires. That was doable. Lee nodded as he listened.

“Okay, who should we keep an eye for?”

“The captain of the guards, Furykov. But the one I’m most concerned with is the head of this place: Camilla. She’s extremely haughty and cunning as well. I’ve seen this place pull some low blows to break humans.” Ponzu warned in a hushed tone. Kurapika was impressed. Ponzu seemed competent. Lee and Maylin were listening to Ponzu carefully. They seemed to be planning their own escape. They’d make good partners to engineer an escape with. He’d observe them some more to see if they seemed trustworthy.

The rest of the day (night?) passed without any event. After another lesson with Tonpa, a word he loosely used to describe the encounter, the humans apparently had the rest of the day (night? He couldn’t tell) off. The living area had several large couches for them to use. They had several entertainment devices such as playing cards, small rubber balls, and two other things Kurapika didn’t recognize. The first was a small box and coming out of it was music. Kurapika could only assume it worked in a similarly when he and Pairo would put paper cups on a string and talk into them, but on a more sophisticated scale. What really caught Kurapika’s attention, however, was this large picture frame on the wall. Except the pictures were moving on it. He was mesmerized by it.

“Told you he’d go straight for the TV. You owe me five hundred jennies.” One of the guards named Sommy told Tonpa.

“Hmph, fine. I was expecting him to try and walk around.” Tonpa muttered. TV? Jennies? Kurapika was overwhelmed by all the new information that was bombarding him for the past half a day. He hated it here! He needed to find a way to go home. Kurapika spent the rest of the day observing everyone in his field of view. Once their free time was over, the humans were herded into the showers again. Kurapika carefully removed the seed from his collar in case they took his shirt away. Then they were assigned to separate cells. Kurapika was surprised to see that instead of a bedroll, the bed was on a frame that was welded to the floor. He sat down on it and got used to the new feeling. His body was telling him this was when he was supposed to be awake, but he became too tired to stay awake. He laid down on the bed and pulled the blanket over until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Remember that scene in Jurassic Park where they were feeding the raptors and talking about how dangerous they are? That's Furykov and Tonpa about a 12 year old boy.  
> \- Kurapika is not one to suffer fools gladly.  
> \- Ponzu was awesome. I love Ponzu. I was going to add Hanzo into the breakout gang, but he's a ninja. Ninja's don't get caught.  
> \- I wasn't planning on adding OC's to this story, but there were no sibling characters that I liked that I could use for the role. They won't be in long anyways. 
> 
> Please Rate and Review! I always love reading your comments!


	4. New Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait guys. I've been working on puzzles and other stories, this one kind of slipped out of my mind. Once again, little details are tripping me up, I know where the story is heading, but certain details getting there is becoming a problem. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! The next chapter is going to be the last chapter with the OC's in it.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS.

**Chapter 4: New Life**

**\----------------**

**Kakin Daily Schedule**

_19:00 – Start of Night  
19:00-19:30 – Showers  
19:30-20:00 – Breakfast  
20:00-22:00 – Reeducation Lessons  
22:00-23:00 – Physical Exercise  
23:00-23:30 – Physical Inspection  
23:30-00:00 – Lunch  
00:00-01:00 – Reeducation Lessons  
01:00-04:00 – Recreation  
04:00-04:30 – Dinner  
04:30-05:00 – Showers  
05:00 – Lights Out_

Blood Withdrawal happens once every two weeks at 00:00-01:00. 

\----------------

When the vampires came to wake them up, Kurapika felt like he didn’t receive any sleep. He felt his collar to see if the seed was still there. Relief flooded through him when he felt it still tucked inside his collar. After showering, Kurapika went to the mess hall for food. He frowned when he received his meal. It was mostly meat. He inspected it with his fork before taking a bite. Ponzu was walking past when she stopped when she saw Kurapika.

“I didn’t expect they would draw blood this early…” She whispered. The siblings were right behind her when that happened.

“What?” Maylin asked. She then turned to see Kurapika. “Oh...”

“What? What are you two on about?” Lee asked in confusion.

“When they plan on drawing blood, they give you extra iron.” Ponzu explained. Kurapika’s appetite was already weak as it is, but the discovery that they were going to drain him today was enough to get rid of it. He put down his fork and instead put his head in his arms and tried to get more sleep.

After breakfast, he was stopped by Sommy on his way to his Common lessons who taught him a new word as a prank on Tonpa. Kurapika didn’t know what it meant, but he assumed it wasn’t nice. He was curious to see Tonpa’s reaction. He entered the room to see Tonpa organizing papers. He looked up when he heard the door open.

“Right then. I’ve been up all day looking over guides on how to teach another language so this one should be better than our last one, J-71693.” Tonpa told him, not really expecting him to understand. Kurapika sat down in his seat and rested his head on his hand, not really caring. Tonpa twitched in anger when he saw how belligerent Kurapika already was. It’s not like he was enjoying this either. He coughed awkwardly into his fist.

“Um… the book suggests to review what we went over last time. Okay, you are…” He pointed at Kurapika. Kurapika sighed in annoyance.

“Human.” He said in a bored tone.

“Correct, and this is…”

“Pen.”

“Right!” Tonpa then pointed at himself. “And I am.”

“Bastard.” Kurapika said the word Sommy taught him.

“WHAT?!” Tonpa yelled incredulously.

“Bastard.” Kurapika smirked. Apparently, it was a good insult.

“Where the hell did you learn that? Did that asshole Sommy teach you that?” Tonpa growled while he pointed a demanding finger at Kurapika.

“Asshole?” Kurapika repeated. Tonpa’s face fell when he realized he accidentally taught Kurapika another bad word. “You are an asshole!” Kurapika said. He didn’t know what a ‘bastard’ or an ‘asshole’ were, but they drove Tonpa mad which was a lot of fun.

“Crap! Stop saying that!” Tonpa ordered. Kurapika happily ignored him and kept repeating the new words until Furykov came.

“What is all this?!” Furykov demanded. He could hear Tonpa’s frantic yelling from across the building.

“Captain! I…um…well…” Tonpa frantically searched for an explanation.

“You are an asshole!” Kurapika said again. Furykov raised an eyebrow.

“Sommy taught him a few new words.” Tonpa rushed out. Sommy would pay for this.

“I see…” Furykov hummed, a slight smirk on his face.

“Seriously! I didn’t teach them those! Either way, I’m a terrible teacher! You should put someone else in charge of this!” Tonpa snapped.

“Right… I should have put Sommy in charge, apparently he’s a better teacher than you…” Furykov suggested. He looked at Kurapika then. “You taught him the word ‘stop’, yet?”

“Well I-“

“Bastard.” Kurapika said. Furykov then punched Kurapika in the stomach. He crumpled to the floor instantly.

“Stop.” Furykov said in a commanding tone. He turned his focus back to Tonpa. “I’m taking over the lessons until we get an expert in here.” He then left without another word. Tonpa then gave Kurapika another kick.

“Serves you right, you little brat.” He sneered before following his captain out of the room.

\----------------

Kurapika rubbed his stomach gingerly. He knew he was going to have a bruise there. The food in front of him was left untouched again. The idea that it was there to only make sure he was healthy enough for them to drink his blood disgusted him. Kurapika knew that he’d have to eat eventually to keep his strength up, but right now he just couldn’t make himself eat.

Ponzu came up to him again. She looked around to see where the guards were before she started eating.

“If you can understand me, sit next to the radio during recreation.” She instructed in a hushed tone. Kurapika did his best not to react. How did she know? And radio? He could only assume that radio was the music box and they planned to use it in order to dampen their conversation.

“I’d recommend eating. You’re going to be tired for the rest of the day and this helps.” Ponzu suggested. She then left to talk with someone else. Kurapika looked down at his food, he couldn’t gather the will to eat. He felt nauseous just looking at the food. He pushed it to the side and put his head in his arms for the rest of lunch.

“J-71693!” A voice called. He had heard that phrase before, but not knowing what that meant, Kurapika ignored them.

They tried again. “J-71693! …Kurta!” When Kurapika heard Kurta, he pulled his head up. Apparently, _he_ was J-71693. It was some kind of ID for him. The idea that they were trying to erase his identity angered him. He turned to the person who called him. Furykov, Tonpa, and Sommy were standing at the entrance. Tonpa and Sommy had man catchers In their hands. Kurapika stood up and glared them all down. They wouldn’t get his blood that easy.

“Come quietly, J-71693. It’ll only hurt more.” Furykov told him in a calm tone.

“He doesn’t understand us, Captain.” Tonpa said.

“Bastard…” Kurapika growled.

“Except that one.” Tonpa sighed before glaring at Sommy.

“I said I’m sorry!” Sommy exclaimed quickly.

“Quiet.” Furykov ordered. Tonpa and Sommy lost their relaxed nature and became serious. “You know how this goes. On my mark.” Kurapika tensed in preparation for their attack. The other humans in the area realized what was going to happen and backed away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Furykov nodded and Tonpa and Sommy ran at Kurapika in different directions. Kurapika jumped over the table to put some space between himself and the vampires. He threw the tray his food was on at Sommy, who was closest. Sommy used his man catcher to knock the tray away. Soon Kurapika hit a wall and had to find another exit. Kurapika could see Furykov circling around, looking for an opening. Kurapika quickly realized that escape wasn’t possible and jumped on a table instead. He grabbed another tray and held it threateningly as the vampires slowly closed in on him.

“Course he jumps on the table…” Tonpa groaned. “Have to make things as difficult as possible.”

“Captain, we may have to rough him up a bit to catch him.” Sommy said.

“You have permission, try not to damage him too much.” Furykov told him. Sommy smirked at that. Tonpa and Sommy then started swinging their man catchers at him. Kurapika hit them with his tray as best as he could. This kept going for a bit until one managed to trip him up, he fell onto his back hard, the wind left him all at once. As he struggled to regain his breath, Tonpa and Sommy climbed up onto the table and pinned him down with the man catchers. Furykov quickly restrained his wrists. Tonpa and Sommy then removed their man catchers.

“You guys were worried about this guy? He seems like every other human.” Sommy said as he grabbed Kurapika by his right arm and hauled him to his feet. Kurapika had the urge to kick Sommy but decided against it. Having a guard who underestimated him would be more useful in the long run. Tonpa then grabbed Kurapika by the left arm.

“You didn’t almost have your ear bitten off.” Tonpa growled out. They started marching Kurapika down a long hallway. Kurapika’s fear increased as they seemed to get closer to their destination. He started dragging his heels to try and slow them down, he didn’t want this!

They entered opened the door and entered the room. Kurapika realized this was the same chair they put him in the first night when they branded him. That was when he started struggling. He cursed at them in both Kurta and Common. He was ignored as he was thrown into the chair and restrained again. His wrists were untied only to be tied down to the arms of the chairs. He tried to break free, but it proved impossible.

“He’s ready, Lady Camilla.” Furykov called. Kurapika stopped struggling as Camilla walked into the room. She once again studied him with excited eyes. He had no idea what was going to happen next. The legends said that vampires had hollow teeth which can drain blood from a human. He saw the long fangs that they had in their mouths, so it was possible. Another vampire he saw before, the one that branded him, came in and started wiping his arm with cotton. Kurapika then saw the vampire pull out a needle. He pulled at his arm in a last-ditch attempt to escape but was held firm. The needle pierced his skin, which was slightly painful but tolerable. The clear tube connected to the needle instantly went red as the blood flowed into the bag beneath him. It was a strange feeling, but compared to the other option, this was preferable. His blood was still being taken against his will and he hated every minute of it. It also appeared to be a slow process. Camilla was talking to Furykov as they watched the blood drain.

“How was he his first couple of days?” She asked.

“Uncooperative at best, aggressive at worst. I will send you Tonpa’s full report after this, ma’am.” Furykov answered her.

“I have received word that the linguist you requested will be here in the next four to five days. Not only will they teach Common, they will try and discern his language as well.” Camilla informed Furykov, who thanked her graciously. Kurapika hadn’t really said anything in Kurta since he got here except some curses, but now he had to be extra sure not to let them learn anything about his people.

It was a twenty-minute process that left Kurapika tired and nauseous. He watched blearily as the needle was removed from his arm and a bandage was placed instead. The vampire then grabbed the bag with his blood in it. He also took a wineglass and poured some of the blood into it. Camilla walked over to the vampire and took it once it was offered.

“Thank you Ridge.” She said to him before she took a sip from the glass. “Oh, it’s divine!” She exclaimed and continued drinking. Kurapika could only glare with tired eyes at her. Once she was done, she put the glass on a table with a satisfied sigh.

“Send the rest to papa for me, please. And take him back to the pens. I’ll be expecting that report by dawn.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Furykov and the others bowed as Camilla walked out. “Take him back and get him something to eat.”

\----------------

The radio played music that was too cheerful for Kurapika's taste. He was sitting on a couch eating cashews that were giving to him after he was returned to the pens. There was no one else besides him and some guards to keep an eye on him. Kurapika was too tired to actually do anything at the moment, however. The sense of hopelessness he felt at the situation was near unbearable. He couldn’t do anything as they did whatever they wanted to him. He grabbed his left bicep where the brand was in anger. Kurapika needed to get out of this place.

“Oh wow, he really is there.” He heard Maylin say. He turned to see Ponzu and the siblings walking up to him. They sat in front of him without looking at him. It was a smart move; they were pretending to talk to themselves and not him.

“How did you know?” Lee asked.

“He stopped eating when I explained about the blood.” Ponzu explained, a small smile on her face. Kurapika checked on the guards. It was Ridge and Sommy. Neither of them were paying attention to their charges.

“So, what did you want with me?” Kurapika asked in a whisper. Even though she knew he could speak Common, Ponzu still seemed surprised when he spoke up. She quickly brushed off her confusion.

“We’re working on a plan to get out of here. You seem capable and we need all the help we can get.” Ponzu said. It seemed that Ponzu had the same idea as him.

“What is the plan?” Kurapika asked. The three then shifted nervously. That wasn’t a good sign.

“Sort of…” Lee admitted.

“We were thinking of spiking their meal with bad blood. It could make them incredibly sick.” Maylin explained.

“The problem we’re having is getting that. The only way I can think of is getting it from a dead person. And that has its own problems.” Ponzu finished. A dead person’s blood? That was something Kurapika hadn’t thought of. Clever.

“’Could?’ You’re not sure?” Kurapika echoed.

“Not really. Vampires are naturally secretive about their weaknesses. The only ones I know of are sunlight, a stake through the heart, and beheading.” Ponzu said.

Kurapika debated on whether or not to tell them his secret. He hadn’t known them for very long. Yet they seemed dependable, and they could have told the vampires that he spoke common earlier but didn’t. He decided to work with them for now. Their plan was similar to his own anyways. He will reveal the ojigi seed another time.

“We should put aside acquiring the poison later.” Kurapika told them. “We won’t be able to use it at the moment anyways.” Ponzu beamed when she realized she had a new ally.

“We have an idea there.” Lee said. “This facility doesn’t have enough energy to have many refrigerators, so all the blood goes into one fridge on the other side of the facility. If we can get in and poison every bag in there without anyone noticing. We’ll have them.”

“We’ll probably need a distraction then…” Kurapika mused, he had no idea what a refrigerator was, but he guessed it was a storage container of some kind.

They spent the rest of the day going over the logistics of their plan. Kurapika was able to get more information about vampires than he expected. Vampire don’t need to eat as often as humans. They often only eat once every two to three weeks. They would need to find out more about the vampires feeding habits. The main problem was being transferred. They needed to act out often enough to be deemed too ‘feral’ to be put up for auction. Yet not too often that they would be transferred to another facility more specialized in ‘domesticating’ humans with ‘wild’ temperaments. Once again, Kurapika got culture shock from all the new things he was learning, but he pushed past it. He needed to know everything he can about this world so he could survive in it. Kurapika had to admit that he had some respect for Ponzu and the siblings, who were able to live in this hostile world. He’d help everyone in here escape, and then return home with all the information he learned, so they’d be better prepared for anything that could happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Adjusting your sleep schedule is not easy.  
> \- I enjoyed Kurapika learning new words. Not as much torturing him... But this place isn't meant to be nice to humans.  
> \- The blood drawing procedure I sort of based on blood donation, but the vampires probably take a bit more blood than the Red Cross.  
> \- Ponzu is a smart cookie and I love her.  
> \- Of course Camilla would want a sample! She's just that kind of person.  
> \- Not gonna lie, have no idea who I'm gonna have teach Kurapika now. Oops.
> 
> Please rate and review!


	5. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm having writer's block with my main story, I decided to put in some chapters on the prequel to get the creative juices flowing. Hopefully this will help push past my bock. This is the last chapter with the OCs in it I promise. I also wanted to say how disappointed I am with all of you. 300+ readers and NONE of you noticed the Legend of Zelda reference I put in? OR the Yu Yu Hakusho reference? I am saddened. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS!

**Chapter 5: Broken**

**Kakin Human Temperament Rating System**

\----------------

Feral humans are given a basic temperament rating based on their reactions upon initial capture. The temperament rating will change as reeducation occurs. NOTE: These are only a generalized characterization of the human.

  * Docile: Submissive. Only light training needed before being declared fit for selling.
  * Timid: Scared by vampiric presence. Has tendencies to hide and run. A soft but firm approach is required.
  * Defensive: Lashes out violently if provoked. An observation period of at least a week is required. During such time, the human is to be monitored to see what triggers defensive reaction. Caution is advised.
  * Wild: Attacks at any opportunity. Methods for dealing with wild humans vary on case-by-case basis. Extreme caution is advised.



\----------------

A week had passed since he agreed to work with Ponzu and the siblings. Slowly, Kurapika was adjusting to his new life at Kakin. The hardest part was being woken up at night. It was taking a while for his body to adjust to the sleep schedule the vampires had given him. Luckily, the vampires only drain blood every two weeks so Kurapika didn’t have to worry about that for a while. Instead, he was forced into Common lessons with Furykov. In the end, Kurapika simply played dumb. It was exhausting pretending to be dumb on a regular basis. How did Mido do it every day? Even though Furykov had taken over teaching duty from Tonpa, he wasn’t sure how to teach either and the seeming lack of progress was starting to frustrate him. It gave Kurapika immense joy to make the man suffer with him.

While this was happening, Kurapika and his newfound allies continued their plan. He learned that vampires do not need to drink all the time, only about once a week. The problem was that the guards seemed to take turns on lunch break, making it impossible for them to kill all the vampires at once. Still, if they could take out half of the guards, the humans would outnumber the vampires four to one. Kurapika was still figuring out the logistics on growing the ojigi seed. They were not allowed outside and even if they were, Kurapika wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep the plant hidden. He didn’t want to show the others the seed until he was certain he could grow it to maturity.

Another problem the group faced was the delicate balance of being kept in the facility. If they were too compliant, the vampires could deem them fit for selling and send them away. If they were too disruptive, they could be transferred to another facility that was more equipped to deal with ‘wild’ humans. Lee and Kurapika would often had fake outbursts and cause a scene. Their reason was two-fold: They would be deemed unfit for selling and it gave them experience fighting the guards. This led to the pair quickly becoming the bane of the guard’s existence, especially Kurapika. Being aware that he was being kept here no matter what, he was able to get away with more than the others did. The girls chose the opposite route and pretended to be terrified of the vampires and ran away when they came close. While this worked in keeping their temperaments too unpredictable to sell, Lee and Kurapika were treated more roughly than the others. Kurapika lost count of all the bruises he had accumulated over the week, and Lee was no better. Maylin didn’t have sympathy for them.

“It was your idea to go the aggressive route. I suggested you two pretend to be terrified of them and it would work just as well.” She chided her brother while icing an injury on Lee’s back.

He hissed at the pain. “I’m not going to whimper in front of those parasites! I want them to know exactly how I feel about them!”

“Well expect more of these injuries as the guards keep beating you. I’ll let them now how I feel about them when we kill them all.” Maylin countered. Lee grumbled but dropped the subject.

“I’m doing it because it draws suspicion away from you and Ponzu.” Kurapika said. “They are more concerned about me and Lee, giving you chances to slip away.”

“Exactly! We’re doing it for you girls!” Lee agreed excitedly.

Maylin rolled her eyes. “You didn’t even think about that until Kurapika said it just then!” The siblings started bickering again. Kurapika didn’t add that he also couldn’t pretend to be subservient to the vampires. Even if he wanted to, he doubted he could. He was so angry at his imprisonment, that he couldn’t keep his rage down. The vampires thought him as nothing but property, and that they could control him. Kurapika had to show them that he couldn’t be tamed.

\----------------

Kurapika took whatever sleep he could while he waited for Furykov to start another lesson. The two hours a night he spent having these lessons were easily the worst part of Kurapika’s day. According to Ponzu, the other humans spent the time ‘learning their place’ in life. He could easily see how the constant dehumanizing ‘lessons’ could wear a person down over time. Kurapika hoped he never had to go through the psychological training.

Footsteps down the hallway told Kurapika that his lesson would begin soon. The door opened to reveal a boy his age. His pudgy face had a confident smile on it. He had his black hair slicked back. He wore a ruffled white shirt with a red bowtie and suspenders. Under his arm was a large black box. It was probably an electronic device like the TV and radio.

What was going on?

The boy walked in confidently and sat behind the desk. Furykov entered the room shortly after. He stood at the doorway watching Kurapika with a distrusting eye. The boy opened the box and started pressing buttons on it.

“So, this is the infamous J-71693. He doesn’t look like much.” The boy said.

“Looks can be deceiving. He’s been causing trouble all week.” Furykov said. “That you for coming Nicholas. We’re not equipped for this kind of situation.”

“It’s no problem at all. The chance to learn a rare language was too tantalizing to resist.” The boy, Nicholas replied. That’s when Kurapika remembered. Camilla and Furykov were talking about bringing in a linguist. This kid was the linguist? He was a vampire as well? “What have you managed to teach him in a week?”

“Not much. I’ve taught him ‘Shower’, ‘Breakfast’, ‘Lunch’, ‘Dinner’, ‘Free’, ‘Bed’, ‘Human’, ‘Vampire’, and ‘Stop’.” Furykov admitted. His eyes locked with Kurapika’s at the last word and he smirked at the boy. “Mostly so we could communicate what he needs to do throughout the day. Some of my men taught him some curses as a joke, so don’t mind that.”

“Uh huh.” Nicholas didn’t look up from the box as he kept pressing buttons. “And what about his language?”

“He’s quiet most of the time. Most of the phrases I heard were probably curses. After he learned curses in Common, he’s mostly stuck to those.” Furykov explained. Nicholas nodded absently. “Right now, your main goal is to teach him Common. Lady Camilla is paying you generously for that. You can try and figure out his language afterwards.”

“So long as I keep quiet, of course.” Nicholas added with a smug grin. “Don’t worry, whether he likes it or not, I will teach this boy Common.”

Kurapika rolled his eyes and put his head back on the desk. ‘ _Good luck with that._ ’

\----------------

He had to admit, Nicholas was a better teacher than Tonpa or Furykov. He used pictures and movies to show simple sentences. Furykov hit the back of Kurapika’s head whenever he decided to ignore them. Kurapika eventually “learned” the phrase, “I am a human”. Although Nicholas believed Kurapika was just parroting him. He ensured Furykov that knowing the words was the first step to understanding them. Finally, Kurapika was allowed to leave for recreation.

As he approached the rec room, he could hear a commotion. The voices of Lee and the guards almost drowned out the crashes of furniture. So Lee was causing another scene. As he got closer, he could hear them more clearly. Lee was _begging_ the vampires. He could also hear Maylin screaming as well. That’s when he realized something was horribly wrong.

Kurapika ran into the room. There were more guards than usual. Several kept the onlooking humans away. Lee was forced to the floor by several man-catchers, though he still struggled against them. Maylin had been handcuffed and was being dragged away. Tears were streaming down both their eyes.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll behave from now on! _Please_! Don’t take my sister away!” Lee sobbed on the ground. He managed to get one of his hands free and pulled at man-catcher around his neck. Sommy crushed Lee’s hand with the heel of his foot.

“Leave him alone!” Maylin demanded. Kurapika’s eyes turned red. He moved to save his friends when Furykov appeared behind him. Kurapika didn’t have time to react as his hands were forced behind his back and the back of his knees were kicked, making him fall to the ground. Furykov placed his knee on Kurapika’s back and he couldn’t do anything but watch as Maylin was dragged out of the facility. After a while, they slowly released Lee and the humans were allowed into the rec room. Furykov got off of Kurapika and went to his post. Lee had not gotten up from the floor. Kurapika and Ponzu ran over to their friend. He looked shaken, as if he couldn’t understand what had happened.

“She’s gone…” Lee whispered. Ponzu tried to lift Lee off the ground but failed. Kurapika moved over to help. They heaved Lee’s weight from the ground and walked him over to the radio.

“She’ll be fine, Lee. They won’t hurt her.” Ponzu tried to comfort him. “Once we get out of here, we’ll find her and free her as well.”

Lee didn’t answer, only looking at where they took Maylin. Kurapika couldn’t stand the look on Lee’s face. Earlier that morning, that face was full of life and his eyes had a fire in them. Now those eyes were empty, and his face seemed to lose all color. Making sure the guards were out of earshot, Kurapika turned to his friend.

“Lee listen to me.” He demanded. Lee didn’t respond. In order to knock some sense into him, Kurapika slapped his friend across the face. Ponzu looked surprised. Luckily, none of the others were paying attention when that happened. Lee finally turned his eyes to Kurapika. The Kurta dug the seed out of his collar. “This is called an ojigi plant. Legends from my clan say the oils from this plant can kill a vampire. In four months, this will be fully grown. In four months, we can get Maylin back.”

Ponzu studied the seed with a mixture of wonder and disbelief on her face. “Why didn’t you tell us about this before?” She asked, a hurt tone in her voice.

Kurapika put the seed back in its hiding spot. “I’m still trying to figure out a way to grow it.”

“I have a way to grow it!” Ponzu had to work to keep her voice quiet. She hugged Kurapika suddenly. “This is it! This is how we’re going to get out of here!”

“Are you sure that will kill them?” Lee’s dead voice asked. Ponzu removed herself from Kurapika awkwardly.

“I’m not. But all the legends about vampires I’ve heard had been true so far. I don’t see why this one wouldn’t.” Kurapika told him.

Lee gritted his teeth in frustration. “You want us to place you trust in this? Something we don’t even know works. You want us to put four months of effort into a plan that _might_ work?”

“Lee –“ Ponzu started, but Lee kept going.

“You didn’t even know what a TV was a week ago! You don’t know anything!” Lee told Kurapika.

“It’s better than no plan at all!” Kurapika snapped back, making sure to keep his voice down.

“Easy for you to say! You don’t have to worry about being transferred!” Lee retorted. “If this plan fails, you get to try again! We’ll get punished and probably transferred to Benjamin’s facility! And no one gets out of Benjamin’s facility!” Lee then stood up and walked away, his shoulder hit Kurapika’s hard as he walked away. Lee walked over to a different couch and sat in it before putting his head in his hands. Kurapika almost followed him but Ponzu stopped him. Lee obviously needed space. So, he turned his attention back to planning.

“What is your way to grow it?” He asked.

“It’s on its way now.” She said in a vague manner. Kurapika was confused but Ponzu didn’t say anything. Suddenly, she opened her hand and a bee landed on her palm. She held it up to Kurapika proudly.

“It’s a bee.” Kurapika said slowly, feeling like he was missing something. Where was she going with this?

“Watch. It’ll do figure eights in the air.” She told him. The bee took off from Ponzu’s hand and started flying in figure eights in front of them. Large ones at first before making them smaller.

“Incredible… How are you doing that?” Kurapika asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve been able to do this since I was little.” Ponzu admitted to him. The bee landed on her palm again. “But these guys can take the seed and plant it somewhere safe. And in four months we’ll be ready to use it.”

Kurapika almost laughed. He couldn’t believe it. Escape seemed tangible now. They would have four months to solidify their plan. The beatings, the draining, those ridiculous Common lessons, they all seemed insignificant now. He was certain this will work. The vampires underestimated them; they probably have no idea he knew about ojigi oil. Kurapika fished the seed out of his collar and held it flat on his plan. The bee went from Ponzu’s hand to his. It gripped the seed with its legs and flew off with it.

“I wish we could check on it.” Kurapika admitted.

“Well the bees can give me images in my head. It’s a bit confusing because they have compound eyes, but it works.” Ponzu explained. Once again, that excitement stirred in Kurapika’s chest. However, it faded when his mind returned to Lee. Kurapika turned to see Lee sitting in front of the TV, head in his hands. “What about Lee?”

“He needs time. Once we get the ball rolling, he’ll be twice as determined as before.” Ponzu promised. Kurapika nodded, he could only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Normally, I would use side characters from an anime to fill the role I need, but I couldn't think of any that I wanted to do this with so OCs it is.  
> \- Kurapika: You keep me here, I make your life a living hell ;P  
> \- Yes, I decided to make the teacher that smarty pants kid from the hunter exam. NGL, he has less of a role than I thought he would, but oh well.  
> \- He's a better teacher that Furykov or Tonpa, but that's a low bar to clear.  
> \- Even though they were OCs and they were only here for a short time, I feel bad for what I did to Lee and Maylin.  
> \- Somewhere Nicholas Cage is going crazy... NOT THE BEES!
> 
> Please rate and review!


	6. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story hasn't had as much attention but damn it, I'm enjoying it and I have over half a dozen chapters written already. This story is getting uploaded whether you like it or not! I hope you guys like it though :P
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS!

**Chapter 6: Preparations**

\----------------

**Kakin Facilities**

Kakin has facilities all over the world, each specialized in reeducating feral humans of all kinds. Nasubi’s capable children oversee different facilities and use different techniques to help feral humans become reeducated as quickly as possible. The heir to the company is Benjamin Hui Guo Rou. His disciplined men and strict but fair methods allow him to tame even the wildest of humans. While Benjamin is a master of the rod, Lady Camilla prefers the carrot. Using positive reinforcement, Camilla is able to teach humans their place in the world. With thirteen children with their own successful methods for reeducation, it is no wonder that Kakin is the world’s leading reeducation company.

_-Kakin advertisement_

\----------------

Now that the ojigi seed was planted, there were many other aspects they needed to work on. Such as how to kill the guards that survive the poisoning. Kurapika didn’t want to bring in the other humans in the facility until later, but it was clear they would need them to escape. He spent his time mapping out the facility in his head and noting where the guards kept their man catchers and catchpoles. Once they downed a vampire, they could then kill it. Kurapika concluded the best way would be with a stake through the heart. They probably didn’t have a way to decapitate a vampire here.

Kurapika tried to bounce ideas off Lee on how to make a stake in here, but Lee barely responded. He remembered Lee telling him how his parents died when they were young and Maylin was the only family he had left. It was obvious that the people in charge separated the siblings to make them easier to break, and it was working. Despite Ponzu and Kurapika’s best efforts, Lee sank further and further into a depression. He was compliant with the orders given to him. The worst part was his eyes. Kurapika couldn’t stand looking at Lee’s eyes anymore, they were empty. Lee had become a shell of the person he used to be. On the day Kurapika was to have his second draining, Lee did not appear for breakfast. Ponzu gave Kurapika a worried look but didn’t say anything. They could only talk during recreation.

When it came time for his draining, Kurapika once again put up a fight. He took his frustration out on Tonpa and Ridge who came to collect him. His time learning to fight the guards was paying off as he managed to break Tonpa’s nose before he was finally caught. His actions earned him a chop to the neck. Even with the guards holding back, the pain was enough to down Kurapika and cause his vision to swim. He was once again tied and dragged to that damned chair.

“He’s extra feisty today.” Ridge mused.

“That’s probably because his little pal got shipped to the farms.” Tonpa replied. It took everything to keep Kurapika from reacting. He had a feeling Lee would be shipped soon, but he had hoped that he could stay until their plan was carried out. He wanted to stomp on Tonpa’s foot, but the pain in his neck was enough to keep him docile. The same procedure as repeated; He tied down, Camilla came in and watched the procedure while she talked to Furykov about Kurapika. After he was drained, she took a sample of his blood and he was sent back to the recreation area. It was a tiring experience, but Kurapika kept himself awake. He needed to talk to Ponzu.

Ponzu was distraught to learn about Lee, yet it seemed to make her more determined to escape. They discussed how to get weapons in. It was Ponzu who thought of using the metal from the bedframe. They grabbed spoons from the mess hall and used them as makeshift screwdrivers. The next two months were spent quietly preparing. Ponzu was more trusting than Kurapika and slowly brought the others in on their plan when she thought they were ready.

“This is getting too big too early.” Kurapika said one day. Ponzu looked up from the book she was reading in confusion.

“We have to bring them in sooner or later. Better sooner so they know what to do.” Ponzu said.

“But the more people who know about a secret, the harder it is to keep.” Kurapika countered. “We need to find a way to communicate without the guards finding out.”

Ponzu sighed. “Fair point. How do you suggest we do it?” She asked. At that Kurapika closed his eyes in thought. He had thought of creating a code system with the Kurta language but decided against it. The vampires wanted to learn his language and he refused to give it to them. A code using Common then? They could have everyday phrases that have a secondary meaning so they can talk about it in plain sight. But it would be suspicious if people who never hang out suddenly have a causal conversation with each other.

“I got it.” Kurapika said.

They used the bees again. Ponzu would give the bees pieces of paper with messages on them. The receiver of the instructions would then shred and eat the note to avoid interception from the guards. Satisfied with their plan unlikely to be discovered, Kurapika could focus on coordinating the attack once they started. The plan was for three people to take down the target with man catchers and catchpoles while a fourth would stake them. With all the times the vampires did it to the humans, they were all well versed in how to pin someone down. Kurapika picked who would do the staking based on personality. They couldn’t hesitate when attacking or they’d all be in trouble.

Not only did Kurapika have to worry about the escape plan, but he also had to worry about daily life in Kakin. The hardest was keeping Nicholas from realizing he did know Common. It was a delicate balance to make it seem like he was making progress, while keeping it slow enough that he could play dumb when the vampires spoke. This allowed him to hear things from the guards they wouldn’t say in front of the other humans. It gave them valuable information to use during the escape.

While the Common lessons were stressful, it was nothing comparing to being drained. Every other week he was dragged off to have his blood drained. He had to hold back in his struggle against the guards as to avoid them learning how strong he was. Kurapika had come to hate the chair he was forced to sit in while they took his blood against his will. The worst part was Camilla would be there every time. She would study him while she talked, looking for weaknesses, figuring out the best way to break him. Kurapika would glare back every time. To show he wasn’t broken, that he couldn’t be tamed. The staring contest would end when the blood loss finally made Kurapika too tired to be able to focus.

Three months passed in that manner. They were getting closer to their goal. The stress was exhausting, but Kurapika kept pushing through. Freedom was around the bend.

\----------------

“J-71693!” Furykov called out. Kurapika looked up when he heard his ‘name’. Once again, Furykov, Tonpa and Sommy stood at the entrance with man catchers. He furrowed his brow in confusion; he had his blood draining recently, so why did they look like they were going to take him to the chair? Kurapika glared at them with suspicion. Furykov sighed before signaling to Tonpa and Sommy to restrain Kurapika. He had long since stopped giving the boy a chance to come quietly. They quickly caught the blond and dragged him to the chair. Kurapika cried out but was ignored as he strapped in again. Camilla walked in per usual, looking at him with interest.

“Leave us.” She commanded the guards. They left without a word. Kurapika kept glaring at the witch even as confusion grew in his mind. What was going on? Camilla graciously sat down in her usual spot and pulled out a clipboard. She hummed with feigned interest. “According to Nicholas, your Common is progressing slower than anticipated… You only know basic sentences.” She mused to herself. Kurapika wished she would get to the point.

“But I believe you’ve been hiding how much you know. Let’s put it to the test, shall we?” She continued. So, someone finally caught on to his ruse. She seemed prepared, Kurapika had to keep himself from showing his nervousness. How did she plan on proving it?

“Recently there was smoking coming out from the forest nearby. When people went to investigate, they found a little village. In it they found the bodies of 127 villagers, and several had their eyes gouged out.” Camilla spoke with a light tone. Kurapika couldn’t stop his eyes from turning scarlet. He tried to throw himself at her but was held back. “There you are.” She smiled at him.

“You’re lying…” Kurapika growled out. There was no more need to keep up the act now.

“I’m afraid not. The Phantom Troupe went and killed all the Kurta. Those savages…” An unhinged look crossed her face before smoothing it back to normal. “Fortunately for me, they missed one.”

Kurapika tested his restraints again. Even in his current state, they still held firm. He didn’t want to hear this woman prattle on.

Camilla stood up. “You’ve just become the rarest human in the world, my beautiful boy.” She said as she walked over to him. Kurapika increased his struggles as Camilla grew closer. She grabbed his chin and turned his head in different directions to study him from multiple angles. “Hmm… Still too young… Should be about five to six years before we can start on that. No matter, that will give us time to work on your manners. All these months, and you still don’t seem to know your place.”

Kurapika glared at her again, his body was trembling with rage. “I’ll kill you…” It wasn’t a threat, but a promise.

His head was whipped to the side as Camilla backhanded him. His teeth clipped his tongue and blood spilled from his mouth. The vampiress took his head back into her hands gently as is she hadn’t just hit him. “This is what I am talking about. If you weren’t such a disobedient child, I wouldn’t have marred your pretty face.”

A thumb swiped the blood from his mouth and Camilla licked her thumb clean. “If I don’t see an improvement in your behavior by next week, there will be consequences…” She warned him. His head dropped when it was let go. She walked over to the door and knocked on it. The guards came back to the room and took him back to the main area.

\----------------

The reeducation lessons they had today were particularly draining on Ponzu. Normally, she was able to feign attention but this time she kept nodding off. This caused Sommy to hit her on the back of the head to keep her awake. She had developed a light headache. How Kurapika can deal with that all the time was beyond her.

When she entered the rec room, she saw Kurapika sitting against the wall with his head in his knees, his arms hugging his legs close. Ponzu grew concerned. Did the vampires get to Kurapika too? She ran over calling his name, but Kurapika didn’t answer. He was scratching his brand over and over, drawing blood.

“Kurapika, stop!” Ponzu demanded, grabbing his hand before he could do more damaged to himself. She wouldn’t let the vampires break Kurapika as well.

“Change of plans, Ponzu.” Kurapika murmured, she almost didn’t hear it.

“What do you mean?” Ponzu asked. Kurapika lifted his head up. A gasp escaped her lips. She knew that Kurapika was a Kurta, but this was the first time Ponzu saw his Scarlet Eyes. They accented the rage written on Kurapika’s face. It scared her as much as the broken look on Lee.

“We’re not going to stake Camilla. She doesn’t deserve that. After all the lives she’s destroyed, she needs to suffer.” Kurapika told Ponzu. Camilla was the one behind all the misery in this place. She allowed the guards cruel treatment of the humans and she’s directly responsible for sending Maylin and Lee away. It was unforgivable. Kurapika would make sure Camilla atone for her sins.

\----------------

A messenger bee woke Kurapika up around noon with a note from Ponzu saying the plant bloomed two weeks early. Tears of joy pricked at his eyes, what luck! He ripped up and swallowed the paper before writing his reply: “ _Get the bees to deliver the flower here. We’ll poison the blood at breakfast.”_ He folded the note and gave it to the bee. It gripped the paper with its legs and flew off. As he waited, Kurapika ripped open his mattress. He had hidden what he needed earlier: A syringe, a bowl, and one of the stakes he made. A light buzzing was heard and Kurapika saw multiple bees carrying the flower delicately between them.

Kurapika had seen ojigi flowers before, but this one was more beautiful than any he had seen previously. He held it carefully in his hands and observed it. There was no way he could do the normal method of extracting the oil. He had no idea how much ojigi oil he was going to get. His room had a toilet in case he had to go, it was perfect for his needs. He took one of the metal stakes he made and put the plant on the toilet seat rim, he placed the bowl inside the toilet. Pressing as hard as he could, he slowly rolled the stake up the plant. A clear liquid oozed out of the petals and dripped into the bowl. Once he was done, he lifted the bowl. There was more oil than he anticipated. Normally, they would dry the plant and then distill it in water, which would yield a more concentrated oil, but this would have to do.

He took the syringe and filled it with as much oil as he could. The bees that carried the flower were waiting patiently. He set the syringe in front of them and they quickly worked to grab it and fly it off to Ponzu. Tomorrow night, he’d create a diversion large enough to give Ponzu time to inject the oijigi oil into the blood supply. Kurapika sighed as he hid the items back in his mattress; tomorrow was going to be painful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Once again, I hate how short my chapters look on the chapter text page before I upload them. They look so short.  
> \- I tried to give my OCs some form of character before sending them away, I hope it worked.  
> \- Kurapika is very good at breaking noses.  
> \- The idea with the Kurta language code was based on the Navajo code talkers WWII. Basically, Navajo was never heard outside of the North American continent before then, and so they used the language to encrypt messages. The code was never broken. I rejected it because no one else in the area even knows Kurta. So once again, bees save the day. No one suspects the bees  
> \- the Common lessons were more prevalent in my head when I was thinking this up, but my rather concise style of writing didn't agree with it.  
> \- I just realized that the vampires say 'blood withdrawal' while the humans call it 'draining'. Little culture differences are adorable.  
> \- Camilla is getting personally involved, shit is going down y'all!  
> \- No, Kurapika has no idea what Camilla was talking about when it came to her plans. 
> 
> Please rate and review!


	7. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait a bit longer before posting but I am an impatient bastard so here it is!I hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS!

**Chapter 7: Escape**

\----------------

**Escapees**

During the reeducation process, humans may attempt to escape and return to their feral nature. It is estimated that over one hundred escape attempts are created every year. Kakin boasts a 7% escape success rating. We strive to reduce this number even further. Keep an eye for any changes in human behavior. Should they interact with anyone they normally don’t or speak with different mannerisms, keep an eye on them. Should an escape attempt be discovered, it must be dealt with quickly and the perpetrators punished. Escape attempts often come in the form of tunnels as humans know they are physically weaker than vampires and will avoid confrontation.

\----------------

Not only did he and Ponzu make the metal stakes, Kurapika also made a stake out of plastic that he scavenged. The plastic stake wouldn’t probably kill a vampire, but it would mislead them. He couldn’t risk them discovering the metal ones they made from the bedframes. The blond hid the stake in his shirt as he made his way for breakfast. His eyes blazed with determination as he searched for his target. Tonpa was near the tables with a tired look on his face. The vampire yawned lazily before scratching his chin. Perfect.

Without warning, Kurapika burst into a run and aimed his shoulder at Tonpa’s stomach. The man didn’t have time to react as he was tackled onto the table. All the humans scattered in surprise; he didn’t tell anyone what he was planning. When he pulled out the stake, everyone ran away. Tonpa’s eyes widened with horror as Kurapika brought it down towards Tonpa’s chest. As expected, the plastic broke before reaching the vampire’s heart, but it still did enough damage to make Tonpa cough up blood. Sommy grabbed Kurapika’s shoulder and dragged him off Tonpa. Kurapika used what was left of his stake to slice Sommy’s wrist. Sommy cried out and let go of the blond instinctively. Kurapika held his makeshift weapon in front of him.

“Get the mancatchers!” Furykov ordered. The other guards hurried to obey. “Now I know you can understand me J-71693, put down that butter knife and your punishment won’t be that severe.”

Kurapika narrowed his eyes. “Come and take it then.” He taunted.

Furykov sighed with irritation. “You’re so infuriating… Very well then.” Furykov was fast. Kurapika barely had time to dodge his attack. Furykov was barely holding back, he must have really angered him. Kurapika held up his arms to defend himself when a kick was sent his way. It jarred him as he was sent flying across the room. His back slammed against a table hard, but Kurapika ignored his injuries to stand up again, panting heavily. He needed to hold out a bit longer.

The other guards returned with mancatchers but Furykov stopped them. “Not yet. I want to teach this brat a lesson first.” He told them. Kurapika held his weapon out again and backed behind the table to put something between him and the vampire. Furykov chuckled at the attempt. He ran over to the table and kicked it hard. It slid into Kurapika’s legs and sent him to the ground. The man was on him before Kurapika could react. He tried to attack with the stake, but his wrist was caught in a grip that nearly crushed his bones and was slammed to the ground hard. Kurapika cried out in pain. His cry was cut short when Furykov grabbed his throat and squeezed. Kurapika used his free arm to grab at Furykov. He couldn’t breathe! Furykov glared at Kurapika with extreme anger, Kurapika’s Scarlet Eyes matched his ferocity even as his vision started to blur.

“Furykov!” Camilla’s voice echoed angrily throughout the mess hall. Furykov’s eyes widened in surprise and he let go of Kurapika’s throat. The blond coughed violently to get air into his lungs. As he tried to recover, the man on him violently shoved him onto this stomach and tied his hands together before getting up.

“Get him out of my sight.” He growled before walking off. Ridge and Sommy came to grab him by an arm and he was dragged away again. While looking for a sign of Ponzu, Kurapika accidentally locked eyes with Tonpa. His gaze hardened as he kept eye contact with Tonpa until he was out of sight.

\----------------

“How did this happen?!” Camilla demanded. After putting the humans in their rrooms, she had gathered all the guards (excluding Tonpa) in her office in order to get an explanation. Furykov coughed into his fist before reporting his findings.

“Most likely he snuck into the kitchen and used a burner to shape the plastic. We’re going over the footage now, but we have no idea when he did this.”

Camilla leaned back into her seat and sighed, massaging her foreheard. Never had she met such a troublesome human before. Benjamin dealt with this on a regular basis? She had to give him credit for that. “Sommy and Tonpa?” She asked.

“Well it was shallow wound for me. My wrist already healed.” Sommy explained, showing his wrist for emphasis. “Tonpa is currently getting the piece removed from his chest. Once that’s gone, he should be up and about in no time.”

“Well that’s good…” Camilla sighed. It would look bad in her report if anyone was seriously hurt. She had to get this Kurta under control. Her father may decide that she’s not able to handle him and send him to Benjamin. Obviously, he needed to be watched more carefully. She ordered that someone watch him at all times from that point on, even in the shower. The guards were then dismissed. As Sommy opened the door. Tonpa stood outside awkwardly, a letter in hand.

“Tonpa dear. How are you feeling?” Camilla asked sweetly. He walked in nervously.

“Fine ma’am. I…um…” His voice trailed off before he pushed the letter onto her desk, a transfer request. Camilla studied it with a look of concern.

“Are you so afraid of a human child, Tonpa?” She asked him.

Tonpa nodded sadly. “Yes. Ever since he arrived, J-71693 has been targeting me. He’s ripped my ear, broken my nose, and now he’s almost killed me. And he’s going to try it again, I know it! If you cannot accept my transfer, then you’ll have to accept my resignation. I’m not staying while that animal is here.”

‘ _How infuriating…_ ’ Camilla thought. It could take a month to get another guard in here, leaving them understaffed until then. But that look in Tonpa’s eyes showed he wasn’t joking. She wanted to kill him for his incompetence but that would not go down well with Papa. “Very well then. I accept your request. Gather your things, you have the day off. You’ll receive your new assignment by dawn.”

Tonpa let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, ma’am!” He told her excitedly before running off. Tonpa almost bowled into Sommy as he did.

“You’re really leaving?” Sommy asked. He stayed back to overhear.

“Yes. I can’t stay here anymore.” Tonpa patted Sommy’s shoulder. “You be careful around J-71693.”

Sommy clapped Tonpa’s shoulder in a friendly manner. “I will. Take care, my friend.”

“You too.” Tonpa answered. He then went to the guard’s room to grab his things. It took all his energy to not run out of the building. Tonpa was free! He wouldn’t have to deal with that little monster ever again!

\----------------

Kurapika shivered at the cold water running down his body. It wasn’t ideal, but it soothed his burns. After his stunt, he was tied to the chair again and stabbed with what they called cattle prods. After faking some resistance, Kurapika told them how he snuck into the kitchen a month ago to melt the plastic and make a stake. He knew they would immediately check the cameras for that instead of in the cool storage where Ponzu would be. Ridge was watching him shower with a skeptical eye. It was embarrassing to have to be supervised while showering, but it was the price he’d have to pay. Depending on when they last ate, it could take a while before they feed on the poisoned blood. Everything was in place. Now they just had to wait.

\----------------

**Two weeks later**

Sommy and Ridge were playing cards during their break. Now that they were understaffed and J-71693 had his own personal guard with him at all times, keeping an eye on all the humans was becoming difficult.

“When are we supposed to get a replacement for Tonpa?” Sommy asked.

“Probably in two more weeks. Check.” Ridge said before taking another sip from his blood container. Sommy took out three cards from the deck and laid them on the table.

“That’s going to be annoying.” Sommy said to cover his excitement. He had three jacks. It was a good hand. He made a light raise to keep Ridge in the game.

“We should probably transfer some humans out until then.” Ridge mused as he grinned and raised the bet. Once they called, both revealed their cards.

“Only two sevens! I win!” Sommy said cheekily as he scooped the chips over to his side. Ridge sputtered in surprise. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. It’s just a –“ He was cut off by Ridge’s coughing. It escalated before grabbing his throat in desperation.

“Damn it! What’s wrong?!” Sommy’s eyes were wide as his friend fell onto the table, sending the cards and chips everywhere. As Ridge started to foam at the mouth, Sommy looked the blood pack in realization.

“Ojigi oil!” Sommy said in horror. He ran to the security room where Furykov was watching the cameras. Not following decorum, he slammed open the door.

“Captain! The blood’s been spiked!” Sommy told him. It turned out Furykov already knew as he spasmed on the floor. Who’s turn was it for drinking? Furykov, Ridge and…

“Togari...” Sommy realized in horror. Togari was the one currently guarding J-71693. That left only Geretta alone in the pens. Those who were poisoned were already dead. He had to tell Camilla. As he ran out of the room, a metal rod stuck out and clotheslined him. Sommy fell onto his back and he felt man catchers on his legs and neck. Feet stood on his arms to keep them from moving. He saw several humans staring down at him with intense hatred. Among them was J-71693, his Scarlet Eyes burning. The blond sat on Sommy’s stomach to still his struggling and took out a black metal stake and a rock. J-71693 put the stake right above his heart and raised the rock above like a hammer.

It took five swings for the human to finally pierce the vampire’s heart.

-

Kurapika was panting as he stood up from Sommy’s corpse. It shouldn’t have taken him that long to kill the vampire. Sommy’s pleading and terrified face almost made him hesitate. Almost. Kurapika had to remember all the abuse Sommy did to them and think about the consequences of failure. He heard footsteps behind him as Ponzu’s team came up. From the blood on Ponzu’s shirt, it was obvious that she succeeded in taking out Geretta. They were fortunate, if only two of the vampires had drank this week, they’d have a harder time, especially if Furykov survived.

“We got to get to Camilla before she calls anyone.” Kurapika explained. Ponzu nodded and the dozen humans all ran to the head office.

“It was genius scaring Tonpa into transferring, Kurapika! I doubt we could have pulled it off with Tonpa!” Ponzu told Kurapika.

“We’re not done yet.” Was Kurapika’s reply. All this effort would be for nothing if Camilla got a message out. The humans all huddled around the door to Camilla’s office. Kurapika counted with his fingers before slamming the door open and rushing in. Camilla was sitting at her desk and was wholly unprepared as several humans tackled her to the ground.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing! How dare you attack your superior like this!” She tried to struggle, but Kurapika held up the rock he was holding and hit her across the temple. Camilla was quickly knocked out cold.

“How did you know that would work?” Ponzu asked.

“I didn’t. I was expecting to have to drag her out, kicking and screaming.” Kurapika admitted with surprise. He turned to everyone else. “Burn all the documents. Smash all the computers and cameras!” He instructed. Everyone went to erase all evidence of themselves. Several others restrained then carried the unconscious vampire outside. Ponzu said she was going to find information on Lee and Maylin before they destroyed the computers. Kurapika went to the kitchen and found a barrel of cooking oil. It was heavy, but he dragged it across the facility until he arrived at the chair that he hated so much. He titled the barrel and dumped its contents onto the chair. Then, he took a matchbook and lit it on fire. He watched the leather curl and blacken under the heat with satisfaction before leaving the building. There was one last thing to do.

-

Camilla woke up with the worst headache. Even if the cut had healed, her head still throbbed in pain. The crackling sound did no favors. Wait… Camilla jerked her head up and saw the Kakin Lukso Reeducation Center on fire. She tried to get up but was held back by…chains? The humans had found some chains and lashed her to a post. The Kurta was in front of the other humans, glaring down at her.

“You wretched brat! You will suffer greatly for this!” Camilla screeched. She struggled against the chains that held her back. Once she got her hands on the Kurta, she would make sure he would never try something like this again! The chains tightened as humans behind her pulled on them to stop her struggling. She saw the pathetic stake her Kurta held and scoffed. “Are you planning on killing me with that?”

Surprisingly, he shook his head. “No. For all the lives you ruined, for the people you tortured, and the families you destroyed.” His voice wavered on the last part. “You deserve a worse death then that.”

Camilla was confused for a moment before she saw the sky. “No! You can’t do this!” Her struggling resumed until the chains tightened again. This time, they were extremely painful, and she cried out. The rest of the humans sat down and watched. She looked in horror as the sun finally peaked over the ridge and she screamed in agony.

Kurapika worked to keep his face neutral. He wasn’t sure what he expected. Camilla’s skin sizzled and burned wherever the sun touched her. That screeching cry she let out hurt Kurapika’s ears. Yet, he couldn’t show weakness in front of her. The others started to squirm as the uncomfortable process continued. It took much longer than anyone expected. It had been fifteen minutes since the sun came up. Kurapika’s anger was beginning to turn into disgust, but not at Camilla.

‘ _You need to control that temper of yours._ ’

This wasn’t justice, it was torture. Kurapika once again let his anger get the best of him. His fingers tightened on the stake he was holding. His body was moving before he could register it. He used his momentum to add more force behind the stake. It easily broke through the weakened sternum and crushed Camilla’s heart instantly. Her screams still seemed to echo in his head. Kurapika pulled out the stake with a disgusted face. He panted heavily as the adrenaline rush finally faded from his body. A gentle hand touched his shoulder. Kurapika turned to see Ponzu looking at him with concern.

“It was taking too long; someone could have heard her screaming.” Kurapika said as an explanation. Though neither of them believed it. There was a moment of silence, the humans looked at each other in disbelief. As realization sank in, someone shouted out ‘We’re free!’ and cheers cried out. One by one, the group broke up and everyone went their separate ways.

“What are you doing to do now?” Kurapika asked.

“I’m going to see if I can find Lee and Maylin.” Ponzu answered. It was a wild goose chase and they knew it. Ponzu wasn’t able to get past the computer’s security in that brief time. “I was hoping you would join me.”

“I can’t.” Kurapika admitted. “I have to go home.”

“Kurapika…”

“It’s fine. Camilla was lying.” Kurapika said. Ponzu realized he was in denial. She didn’t know what to say to him, so she simply gave him a brief hug.

“Good luck.” She told him. Kurapika smiled back.

“You too. Don’t get caught again.” He warned her. With one last look, he then ran back home.

-

“This is an absolute disaster! The good name of Hui Guo Rou has been disgraced!” A large man with square features growled out. Several people were assembled around a conference table. When word of the destruction of the Lukso facility spread, an emergency meeting was called. It was the largest human escape in recent history. The eldest Kakin heirs came to discuss matters.

“I knew Camilla was incompetent, but I didn’t expect her to mess up _this_ badly.” A man with long fair hair mused with a whimsical tone. He was more amused than angry.

“Benjamin, Tserriednich, show some respect. Your differences aside, Camilla was your sister.” The man in the central chair chided. The two bowed their heads in apology. Nasubi, head of the Kakin Reeducation company nodded his acceptance of their apology before turning to another of his children. “Go ahead you’re your report Zhang.”

“Of course, father. Even though most of the facility was destroyed in the fire, I was still able to get some experts in to search once it was put out. It took several days, but they were able to find this in the plumbing system. Obviously, one of the humans flushed it to remove the evidence.” Zhang held up a bag containing soggy slower remains. “Analysis showed that it’s an ojigi flower. Murmurs rose at the revelation. Not a lot of humans knew of ojigi oil. Nasubi ignored the noise and pressed a button on his intercom. “Send him in.”

The door was opened and Tonpa was herded into the room by large men. Tonpa quickly kowtowed to his superiors. Mostly, he did it to hide his terrified face.

“Rise.” Nasubi gestured a bejeweled hand. Tonpa schooled his face back to a neutral expression and rose shakily. “Tonpa, was it? You were in the Lukso facility until two weeks ago.”

“I-I was milord.” Tonpa answered.

“Do you have any idea as to who could be responsible for this?” Benjamin asked.

“I do… It was that Kurta! J-71693!” Tonpa’s voice grew in anger as he spoke. “He killed Sommy! He killed my best friend!”

Tserriednich held up the report in front of him. “It says here that J-71693 is approximately eleven years old. You expect us to believe a _child_ killed the best guards money has to offer?” He asked.

“If you look further in the report, you will see he caused several incidents throughout his time at the facility.” Tonpa included.

“I trained with Furykov personally.” Benjamin mused. “I highly doubt he would be overpowered by a child, even if they are a Kurta.”

“He wasn’t. He defeated J-71693 with ease. He consumed the ojigi oil. You would have known that if you had read the report fully before the meeting started.” Tubeppa answered. Benjamin fumed but kept the peace. “It says here the boy managed to keep his knowledge of Common hidden for months. He clearly possesses an intellect above his age. Father, it would be a waste to turn him into mere cattle.”

“He’s also a Kurta, and those are especially rare nowadays.” Zhang added. Tonpa couldn’t believe what he was hearing. They weren’t going to punish J-71693? They still thought they could tame him? Tonpa gritted his teeth in anger. They wouldn’t avenge Sommy and everyone else who died!

Nasubi seemed to notice Tonpa’s distress. “You have been through so much, my friend. Take some time off to mourn. And do yourself a favor: don’t talk to any reporters. With all the stress you’re under, that would be bad for your health.” He said, the threat was thinly veiled; telling the truth about what happened would result in Tonpa’s death. Tonpa could only nod and he was escorted out of the area. Once he was gone, Nasubi addressed the others in the room.

“The data we had on the humans in Lukso was destroyed.” Nasubi told his children. Even though they all knew there were backups. “We’ll send our own men to recapture the Kurta. Start with the village.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- It's fascinating to compare Kurapika's fights with vampires at the beginning vs five years later.  
> \- Camilla is so mean. Her concern for Sommy and Tonpa wasn't out of care for her subordinates, but if it made her look back. I know in the manga she has people she treats well, but we don't get to explore that.  
> \- Basically the security layout of the reeducation center is: one person is watching the cameras while the rest keep an eye on the humans, alternating breaks. So now they're severely understaffed.  
> \- They got lucky that Furykov also drank the poison or else this little attempt may not have worked.  
> \- I came to the conclusion that vampires couldn't be envenomed via bloodstream as they have no hearts. I then realized that would mean Rabid Dog's attack shouldn't have worked. So I came to the conclusion that it worked because magic.  
> \- While I have spent a lot of time developing how the reeducation centers work, the Kakin company as a whole still needs to be developed more. Should be fun.
> 
> Please rate and review!


	8. Return to the Village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had a good chunk of Unleashed written when an error caused the chapter to be deleted. In an infantile rage, I refuse to write my story until it behaves. I'm also honestly having lots of fun with Storm the Sorrow even if it's not my most popular story. Y'all are going to have to put up with it until I can remember my plans for Unleashed. Hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS!

**Chapter 8: Return to the Village**

\----------------

Lukso forest was easier to navigate in the day. It felt like years since he was last here. That time, he was alone and scared. Kurapika felt older than twelve years old, like he was a different person. Travelling the confusing woods was no challenge now. He soon found the marks he left on the trees to guide him. That was a good sign, he was getting close. He could easily find the landmarks leading back to the village now. As he walked, a yawn escaped Kurapika’s mouth. The vampires successfully managed to switch his sleep cycle. It will take some time to fix that again. When he saw the creek, Kurapika’s excitement grew. All he had to do was follow it to the village! Kurapika burst into a run. When he entered the clearing, it wasn’t what he expected.

The village was in ruins. The buildings were nothing but charred logs and piles of debris. Along the forest floor was splattered blood. Kurapika called out for his parents, Pairo, Elder Horn, even Mido but there was no response. Maybe they were hiding in the ruins? Kurapika’s place was closest, so he ran there. He crawled under the collapsed roof carefully. There was no one there. A knot of worry tied itself in his stomach.

He ran over to Pairo’s place. As he turned the corner, he finally saw the bodies. The sight made him gag and he dropped onto his hands and knees to vomit. There wasn’t a lot in his stomach, so he mostly threw up bile that burned his throat. He wiped his mouth as he stared in shock. Camilla wasn’t lying… Over a month of decay left them unrecognizable. He saw carrion birds picking at them and Kurapika’s eyes turned scarlet.

“Get away from them!” He shouted at the birds. Running at the birds to scare them away. The vultures took flight but only sat on the branches above, waiting for the chance to resume feasting. Kurapika took rocks and threw them at the birds. His frustration made his aim poor, and most of the rocks missed. Any rocks that did come close to the vultures were easily dodged. Finally, as his bent down to pick up another rock, but suddenly his body gave out and he fell to his knees. He had to cover his mouth and nose to keep the smell away.

‘ _I need to bury them._ ’ Kurapika thought. Elder Horn had a hidden cache of items in a tree nearby in case of a fire. Maybe there was a shovel in good condition. With all his energy, Kurapika got off his knees and started looking. The elder never gave the exact location of the cache, and Kurapika’s attempts to find it always resulted in him getting caught. But now… Kurapika didn’t finish that train of thought.

The cache was in the third tree Kurapika searched. It was a large dusty chest that was untouched by the fire. In it were several Kurta cultural items, including a pair of bokken. Kurapika took them and gripped them slightly. He had little training with them, but they were better than nothing. As he shifted through the items, he found two books. They were the books Elder Horn took from him. He never burned them at all. His eyes burned as the tears started and he couldn’t stop them. He tried to wipe them away, but new ones replaced them. Kurapika let out a wail of pain. The sound bounced off the trees and carried into the forest. He could never apologize to Elder Horn now. He didn’t even say goodbye to his parents or Pairo. It was probably his fault the vampires found the village. If he hadn’t run off… If he hadn’t been caught…

Kurapika’s eyes once again found the brand on his arm. The vampires had cleaned and bandaged his wounds when they found him trying to scratch it off. It was still visible despite the scars he left behind. So Kurapika took a knife and dragged it across the brand. It hurt, but he pushed past it. That damn mark needed to disappear from his body! Eventually the pain became too much, and he dropped the knife. He still hadn’t found a shovel. Maybe he had one in his hideaway? He dragged his feet over to his and Pairo’s hideaway, books and bokken in tow. He did a rudimentary search of the area. No shovel, but he found his old bag and spare clothes. He stashed everything in the bag. He wanted to keep looking, but exhaustion suddenly caught up with him. Between his mental and physical exhaustion, Kurapika could barely keep his eyes open. He laid down on his side and fell asleep.

\----------------

Voices interrupted the nightmares Kurapika was having. He opened his eyes and got up slowly. His body screamed for him to go back to sleep, but Kurapika forced himself to stay awake. Could there have been survivors after all? Kurapika almost ran out with excitement before he realized he didn’t recognize the voices. Terror slithered down his spine. Carefully, he peaked his head out of the roots of the tree to see who it was. It was nighttime, but he could see three figures. He couldn’t tell if they were human or not. He ducked back inside his hiding spot and silently grabbed the bokken.

“Are we even sure he came back to this place?” One of them asked.

“No idea, but orders are orders. And these came straight from the top.” Another answered.

A whistle was heard. “Nasubi Hui Gou Rou himself gave the order? This must be one special human.” Kurapika froze at that. He’s heard the name Nasubi before: He was Camilla’s father and the owner of the entire Kakin company. They were after him specifically. He knew that Kurtas were considered valuable, but to go to such lengths…

“Ugh… this place is a mess… You’d think the Phantom Troupe would clean up after themselves.” A hunter complained.

“Why would you think that? They don’t care. Though I agree with you, the stench of decaying humans is just disgusting.”

“If you two have time to complain, you can search for the kid.” The third one snapped irritably.

“We can do both at the same time!” The first one replied. Kurapika heard a strained groan, they were searching through the debris. Kurapika pressed himself against the dirt wall he was on as much as possible. The cuts on his bicep were irritated at the debris in them, but he ignored it. He prayed to himself that the vampires wouldn’t find him. He couldn’t go back to Kakin. He heard them shuffling through his village, turn over everything to find him.

He had no idea how much time passed. Kurapika listened to his heart beating excessively fast as he waited in fear. ‘ _Just go away._ ’ He mentally pleaded with the vampires. ‘ _Please find nothing and just leave me alone._ ’

“It looks like he’s not here. Kid must have gone in a different direction.” One of the vampires finally said. Kurapika had to hold in his sigh of relief. They weren’t gone yet.

“Damn… He could be anywhere by now.” Another grumbled in annoyance. “Let’s start back at where they roasted Lady Camilla and work from there.”

“That was brutal… Camilla was always a bitch, but she must have done a lot to deserve that treatment. Hold up.” Kurapika’s breath hitched at that. The vampires’ footsteps stopped. They were silent, so he had no idea what they were responding to. There was a tense moment as he waited. “Guess it was nothing… Let’s go.”

Kurapika refused to relax until he was sure they were gone. The footfalls were heading away from him, but he couldn’t move. The footfalls finally receded out of earshot. Even still, Kurapika didn’t move. Just then, a hand shot into his hiding spot and grabbed his shirt. Kurapika let out a cry of fear as he was dragged into the open.

“There’s the source of fresh blood! I knew I wasn’t imagining things!” His captor mocked him. The blood! Kurapika berated himself. How could he be so stupid?! Of course they could smell the blood! The Kurta snarled and jabbed the bokken in the only weakpoint he could find: his eye. The vampire cried out and grabbed his face before letting go. Blood dripped onto Kurapika as he crawled out from under the vampire while he was distracted. That’s when the other two vampires appeared. Kurapika held his bokken out in front of him. The vampires laughed at him; they knew the boy had no chance. He was surrounded. The vampire who’s eye he gouged seethed with anger and charged at Kurapika. Kurapika held up his bokken to block the oncoming attack. The vampire changed his direction last minute and punched Kurapika in his side. The wind was knocked out of him and he fell to the floor, coughing.

“Don’t hurt him too much.” One of the vampires warned.

“The brat needs a lesson! Livestock should know their place!” The first vampire snarled. Kurapika tensed up and glared at the vampire, preparing for another attack even as he worked to regain his breath.

“If he comes back in terrible condition, it will be our heads!” The other one tried to reason.

“Shut up! I just lost my eye! There’s no way to tell if that’s permanent or not! I’m going to make sure this cattle understa-“ Suddenly something stuck out of the vampire’s forehead, cutting him off midsentence. It looked like an arrow, but shorter and more stocky. Kurapika watched with surprise as the vampire fell to the ground. The other vampires drew their weapons, instantly on alert.

“Damn it! Hunters!” One said. He pointed the gun in the direction the arrow came from and fired. Kurapika covered his ears, he never heard a gun before, they were quite loud.

“Stop firing!” The other demanded. The shooting ceased; the sound continued to echo around the forest. “You idiot! You just gave them time to change their position!”

The blond on the ground forgotten, the two vampires went back to back and looked around tensely. Kurapika felt his breathing slowly return to normal, but he was too scared to move. The vampires were trigger happy, and he was afraid they’d shoot him if he moved unexpectedly. The forest finally went quiet as the echoes faded. For a while nothing seemed to happen. Then suddenly one of the vampires was lifted off the forest floor. Surprised, he dropped his gun and his hands immediately went for his throat. It was then that Kurapika saw the wire around the vampire’s neck. The other vampire turned around in surprise as a man came down from the trees. The vampire swung back to face his opponent. Before he could react, however, the man already had a knife and stabbed it in the vampire’s chest. He spasmed before falling dead. Without missing a beat, the man then stabbed the other while he was still in midair.

The body dropped to the ground as the man let go of the wire. As the man coiled the wire around his hand, he turned to Kurapika. He was human, he wore a simple training uniform. He had black shaggy hair and a light stubble. His dark brown eyes looked at Kurapika with concern.

“Are you alright?” The man asked. Kurapika wasn’t sure how to answer, he just stared at his rescuer in surprise. The man closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. “Come on. There will be more of them sooner or later. We should be long gone by then.”

“Who-who are you?” Kurapika finally asked. Everything was happening too quickly.

The man gave a comforting smile. “My name’s Izunavi. I’m what you call a vampire hunter.” He held out his hand to Kurapika. “Now do you want to be sent to the Reeducation Center again, or would you prefer to come with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- For tact, I decided not to go into detail about the bodies.  
> \- Elder Horn was a stubborn old goat, but he wasn't mean. Elder Horn deserved better.  
> \- Kurapika is very good at pissing off vampires.  
> \- If enough damage is done, I can imagine certain parts can't regenerate on a vampire.  
> \- The move of using the wire to lift the vampire off the ground by the neck is one Kurapika does as well.  
> \- Izunavi: Come with me if you want to live!  
> \- I need me my comments! They encourage me to keep writing!
> 
> Please rate and review!


	9. Izunavi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is probably going to be the last update for a while. I'm planning on focusing on Unleashed. Every time I sit down to try to get myself to write, my brain goes blank. Until I'm trying to sleep then it's going a million miles a minute. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS!

**Chapter 9: Izunavi**

\----------------

What happened next was a blur. Reality and dreams mixed, becoming an incomprehensible mess. The next thing Kurapika could recall, he woke up in a cave. He was swaddled in blankets and a warm compact was on his head. His entire body ached. When he moved, he felt a sticky sensation from the drying sweat. Even shifting his weight was enough to tired him out and Kurapika sank his head back on the pillow he was given with a small groan.

“Are you finally awake?” A voice asked. Kurapika turned his head to see the man, Izunavi, sitting in front of a pot on a fire. He was stirring the contents of the pot slowly. “You’ve been slipping in and out of consciousness for a couple of days now. Were you planning on falling back asleep?”

Kurapika wasn’t sure how to answer that. “What happened?” He finally asked.

“Those cuts on your arm got infected. Lying in the dirt without cleaning them is most likely the cause of it. Those are going to leave some nasty scars.” Izunavi explained. He took the ladle and poured some of the soup he was making into a bowl.

“Good…” Kurapika declared with a tired voice. Izunavi gave him a strange look before he walked over to Kurapika and pressed the bowl to his lips. The blond was too tired to argue and drank the soup without question. The man then took the compress from Kurapika’s forehead and put his hand on it.

“Your fever broke, but you should still take it easy for a few days.” The man declared. He then went back to the rock he was sitting on and poured himself a bowl. Kurapika watched him for a minute, his fatigued mind trying to compose what he wanted to know into words.

“How did you take out those vampires so quickly?” He finally asked. Vampires seemed impossibly strong, yet this man took them all out with ease.

Izunavi studied Kurapika with concern. He sipped from his bowl before speaking. “I don’t think you should go down this path…”

Kurapika sat up angrily. “Tell me!” The sudden change of position made his head swim, and he was forced to lie back down.

The studying look on the man’s face never left. “You’re a Kurta.” It wasn’t phrased as a question. Kurapika looked at him in surprise. “Your eyes became red multiple times while you were sick. You should rest, take time to mourn. See how you feel in a week. If you are still determined, I will tell you.”

The Kurta glared at the man in annoyance before huffing and turning over on his side. He heard a light chuckle over his shoulder.

“You never told me your name.” Izunavi noted.

“…Kurapika…” The blond conceded finally.

\----------------

Kurapika’s dreams had turned into nightmares. Memories of his time at Kakin. Having vampires drain him, the defeated look on everyone’s faces. Camilla’s laugh that then turned into that chilling scream as she burned alive. He jolted awake, afraid he was still trapped in Kakin, only to find himself in the cave. The memories of the past days came back: He escaped Kakin, he was safe.

Despite his own reassurances, Kurapika was convinced vampires would come and force him back into the facility. He hugged himself closely. Normally, one of his parents would come in and coax him to tell them about his nightmare. But that wouldn’t happen now. It would never happen again.

“Bad dreams?” A voice said. Kurapika then remembered his savior. Izunavi was leaning against the wall, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. “It must have been horrible in the Reeducation Center.”

“It was.” Kurapika admitted softly, looking away from the man. “How do I make it go away?” He meant the fear and pain. Kurapika didn’t say it, but he was sure Izunavi understood what he meant.

Izunavi finally opened his eyes. “It won’t. An experience like that is like a wound on the heart. Even when it heals, there will still be a scar. You’re going to have to learn to live with it.” Kurapika said nothing. What the man said wasn’t a comforting thought. “But you don’t have to go through it alone. I’ll help you through it. Now get some rest.”

“I don’t want to sleep.” Kurapika admitted. He was afraid of his dreams. He was even more afraid of waking up back at Kakin.

“This place is safe. I made sure of it. No one is coming to hurt you.” Izunavi seemed to read his mind. Once again, Kurapika didn’t respond. He heard a sigh from the man. “Alright, do what you want. I’m going to sleep though. I’ll see you in the morning.” Kurapika turned to see Izunavi roll over onto his side and close his eyes again. That bastard… He was making it so that Kurapika had nothing to do. Despite what he said, Kurapika’s body was exhausted. Getting up and walking around to keep himself awake was out of the question. Once again, sleep beckoned the boy, and he could only resist it for so long.

\----------------

The week passed both too slowly and yet quickly in Kurapika’s eyes. The fatigue left him as the week progressed and Izunavi would take him into the forest to catch fish or gather lumber to help Kurapika gain his strength back. It wasn’t Lukso forest that they were in. None of the trees were familiar to him. There were no swirling patterns, the trees stood tall and straight with pines on their branches instead of leaves. Kurapika wondered how far the man carried him while he was sick with fever. Perhaps it was good thing they weren’t in Lukso. The urge to go back and bury his kin was strong despite the dangers.

He learned a little about his savior over the week. The first thing he learned was that Izunavi enjoyed being in nature, he treated it with respect and took only what he needed. Kurapika would sometimes see him sitting cross legged on the forest floor, eyes closed, simply enjoying the forest. The man was also highly intelligent. Kurapika’s father said that he was ‘too smart for his own good’. He often could leave many adults in his village confused just by debating with them, yet Izunavi was able to keep up with Kurapika on a variety of topics. Even with Kurapika’s insistence, Izunavi didn’t elaborate further on what a vampire hunter was. Obviously trying to dissuade Kurapika from trying to become one. The most annoying habit the man had was the ability to answer his questions truthfully while still hiding things from him.

“So why were you in the Kurta village?” He asked the man one day while they were fishing.

“I heard about the escape from the reeducation center and thought people may need help. The village was a nearby spot that’s hard to find. Basically, I knew it would be a good place to hide from vampires.” Izunavi explained.

Kurapika furrowed his brows in annoyance. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“You’re right. I am.” Izunavi conceded. Kurapika watched the man from the corner of his eye, waiting for him to continue. Izunavi finally saw his charge looking at him. “I’m not going to tell you.” He finally answered, irking the boy.

Overall, Kurapika found his savior to be a complicated man: Reticent, annoying, wise, caring, and quiet. Kurapika wasn’t sure why Izunavi took him under his wing, but he was grateful, nonetheless.

Despite what Izunavi said, Kurapika couldn’t bring himself to mourn his clan. Instead he felt rage at the thought of his clan members lying in the open, exposed to the elements. They invaded his dreams as well. When Kurapika wasn’t recalling the horrors at Kakin, he was visited by the decayed corpses of his clan. Their eyeless bodies reaching out for him, trying to get him to join them. Yet Kurapika knew he couldn’t go back to bury them. With Kakin after him, they probably were keeping an eye on the village. Since he couldn’t bury them, Kurapika would have to avenge them. Once he was strong enough, Kurapika would find the Scarlet Eyes and return them to the village and bury them with his clansmen. Then he would find the ones responsible for the massacre and kill them.

Kurapika was chopping firewood when Izunavi declared it was time to leave. He was glad to be leaving. While his time in the cave was peaceful, Kurapika needed to do something to take his mind off the painful thoughts. As he was packing up the firewood, Izunavi instructed him to leave half of it behind.

“Why?” Kurapika asked. Wasn’t he cutting it so they could take it with them?

“This is a safe haven; any human can come and hide out in here. In return, they leave supplies for the next group.” Izunavi explained.

“That makes sense, but how do you know it’s a haven?” Kurapika asked.

Izunavi smiled as he picked up his duffle bag. “I’ll show you. Grab your things. And leave the pot; that was there when I got here.”

Kurapika did as he was told. He slung his bag over his shoulder. Taking one last look at the cave, Kurapika steeled himself for whatever came next. He followed his rescuer out of the cave and into the world. As they reached the cave’s mouth, Izunavi pointed at a boulder. On it was carved an open hand, palm up.

“Feral humans leave these markings as hints and warnings to help each other. See how the thumb is crossed over the palm? That means this is an unmanned safe spot. A manned haven would have the thumb to the side.” Izunavi explained to him. “There are many marks that we use. I’ll teach you all of them over time.”

“Is there one with a circle with triangles inside it?” Kurapika asked.

Izunavi’s brow furrowed. “’A circle with triangles inside it’… Oh. Like this?” He took a stick and drew the symbol Kurapika saw in the dirt.

“Yes, that.” Kurapika nodded.

“That’s supposed to be a bear trap. It means human hunters have been known to patrol the area.” Izunavi answered. Kurapika bowed his head. There was a warning the whole time. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened, Kurapika.”

Kurapika nodded, his throat closing up. He didn’t believe it.

\----------------

Neither of them spoke as they walked to wherever their destination was. He had expected Izunavi to ask him about his decision on becoming a vampire hunter, but he just kept silent. Kurapika glared at Izunavi’s back in annoyance, mentally sending his desire to talk. It was childish, but Kurapika felt like he would be losing something if he spoke first. The silent standoff lasted for half the night, until Kurapika’s curiosity outweighed his stubbornness.

“You said you’d tell me about vampire hunters after a week.” Kurapika said.

“That isn’t what I said.” Izunavi replied.

“Now you’re just arguing semantics…” Kurapika complained.

Izunavi looked back at his charge with an impressed smile before turning his eyes to the front. “Still interesting to hear a kid speak like that, but you’re right. I’m sorry. I can see that you’re determined to do this.”

“Why is that so important?”

“Vampire hunting is a dangerous profession. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to you. I didn’t want to start you down this road unless you were absolutely certain you wanted to take it.” Izunavi explained.

Kurapika could tell that the man was once again not telling him everything, but he pushed aside his frustration for now. Getting hung up on the little details would get in the way of his goal. “I want to do this.” Kurapika said with finality.

The man stopped and turned to face Kurapika. “My method of vampire hunting is particularly dangerous as I work alone. The training will be hard. Knowing this, do you still want to become a vampire hunter?”

“I do.” Kurapika stared at him, a determined look in his eye. Again, Izunavi studied him intensely. Before standing up straight.

“Very well then. From now on, you are my apprentice, and I am your master. I expect you follow my instructions. Asking questions is acceptable so long as you do what I say in the end. Do you understand?” Izunavi said in an authoritative tone.

“I understand…master!” Kurapika said, hesitating on the last word. It felt weird calling Izunavi master, but he pushed the feelings of awkwardness aside.

Izunavi nodded approvingly. “Your training begins immediately! We’ll start with your stamina. We’re going to be running to our next destination.” Kurapika didn’t flinch at the sudden change. He’d follow everything Izunavi had to say in order to get stronger. For his clan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Basically the only way I can keep Kurapika down in one location long enough to bond with people is to incapacitate him. Stubborn idiot.  
> \- Izunavi puts up with so much crap, bless him.  
> \- Not much to say about this chapter. It speaks for itself really. Pretty happy with it :)
> 
> Please rate and review!


	10. Training Starts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to put this up yesterday as promised. Oops. So here it is now. Hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS!

**Chapter 10: Training Starts**

\----------------

_“In terms of physical prowess, vampires are superior. They outclass humans in both strength and speed. No matter what you do, you will always be weaker than a vampire. In a sense, that will give you your advantage against them. Allow them to think you are weak, they will hold back. Humans are more valuable alive than dead after all. Let them underestimate you, then make sure they won’t live to repeat the mistake.”_

\----------------

Turns out, Izunavi was leading him to an abandoned town on the forest’s edge. Had Kurapika been walking, the trek would have been easy. Running through the forest was a tiring experience. The ground was spongey from recent rains, and they had to take several detours because of fallen trees in their path. There as even a river that they had to ford. The river wasn’t deep… for Izunavi. It only reached his waist. Meaning that the water level easily reached Kurapika’s chest. Kurapika had to hold his bag above his head and pray that he wouldn’t trip and get swept away. Upon exiting the river, Kurapika couldn’t stop shivering from the cold. Fortunately, their destination wasn’t far from the river. After checking the marks to see if anything had changed, Izunavi wrapped Kurapika in several blankets and started a fire to warm him up. The man then told him that was all for the night and they would resume training tomorrow.

The light of day gave Kurapika a chance to observe his surroundings. The only other village he had seen beside his own was far away at night, so he didn’t get a good look at it. The only thing he could see was that it was very angular. This town was the same. The Kurtas’ buildings were circular huts that allowed rainwater to flow off them. These buildings either had triangular roofs, or flat ones. The building materials were also different, using stone bricks rather than leather tarps or clay. The whole place had little color. Most of the buildings were either varying shades of brown or grey, with the only vibrant colors being the green of the forest slowly absorbing the town. There were some bright colored buildings with red or blue roofs, but those were few and far between. The outside world seemed… so dreary. His experiences of the outside world made Kurapika regret leaving his home. And yet, if he hadn’t run off, he would have died.

‘ _Would that be a bad thing?_ ’ A voice in his head asked. He shook his head to answer his own question. Kurapika couldn’t get hung up on what ifs. He couldn’t change the past, he just had to move forward. ‘ _But you’re not moving forward._ ’ The voice countered. ‘ _Right now, you’re trying to keep yourself awake to avoid dreams of the past. You want to go back to the past, and yet you’re afraid of it. Your whole life right now revolves around the past.’_ To spite the voice, he turned over on his side and tried to go to sleep. Besides, he’d need his strength for training.  
  
\----------------

The first part of Kurapika’s training was physical. He’d run laps, lift weights, do pushups, pullups, crunches, and all kinds of exercises in order to build his strength and stamina. He’d also do multiple stretches to grow more flexible. When he was recovering from intense physical exercise, Izunavi was teaching him about the world he was forced to live in now. Centuries ago, vampires somehow toppled over the human governments and made one global government with vampires in control. The majority of humans were then domesticated to be raised as food for the vampires. Domestication was a new concept for Kurapika, as the Kurtas didn’t keep any animals in captivity.

“And most humans just accept that?” Kurapika asked incredulously.

“They were raised from birth that way. All they know is being cattle. I imagine the concept of choice is foreign to them.” Izunavi answered. The very idea made Kurapika loathe vampires even more. According to his master, about 30% of humans are undomesticated or ‘feral’. They live on the very outskirts of civilization. Eking out an existence by scavenging and moving around. There are very few permanent feral human colonies as the danger of being discovered was too great. Kurapika learned all the symbols feral humans used and what they mean, where one would look to find them, and to cross them out if they are no longer up to date. There were dozens of symbols. There was even one for vampires who were sympathetic to feral humans. The idea seemed too farfetched for Kurapika. Izunavi looked at him knowingly but said nothing.

After a couple months of the physical training, Kurapika’s master started sparring with him to train him in techniques for fighting vampires. The man was fast and Kurapika could barely keep up with him. He was often floored by Izunavi within seconds.

“Fighting head to head is always the last resort for a vampire hunter.” Izunavi told him as he lay on the ground. “We usually rely on ambush tactics to kill our targets. Once more.” They started again. Kurapika was barely keeping up with Izunavi. His arms were growing sore. Once again, he was floored.

“You’re blocking too much.” Izunavi told him.

“Then what the hell am I supposed to do?!” Kurapika snapped irritably.

“You dodge. Here, attack me.” His master offered. Kurapika got up slowly before closing the distance and throwing punches at his opponent. Ivunavi would twist his body out of the way at the last minute. Kurapika saw an opportunity and went for a kick. His master expected that and jumped out of the way, landed a few feet back from Kurapika.

“There are some vampires so strong, they can break bones even if you block. Wait until the last minute, then pivot out of the way. Come at me again, slowly this time.” Kurapika was nervous about what his teacher planned to do but went anyway. He slowly threw out his punch. Izunavi pivoted out of the way again, this time grabbing Kurapika’s arm. “Use your opponent’s momentum against them. Now that I’ve moved out the way of your attack, I will keep turning until my back is to you.” Slowly, Izunavi did just that and stuck a leg out in front of Kurapika. “Now with my leg, I can then trip up any my opponent and send them onto their back. That is when you can deliver the final blow while they are still reeling.” Kurapika’s wrist was let go and both relaxed their stances.

“Wouldn’t we have weapons?” Kurapika asked.

“In the best-case scenario, yes. Right now, you should master your body before you master a weapon.” His master explained. “I think that’s enough for tonight. Let’s have some food.”

\----------------

Outside of training, Kurapika didn’t often talk with his master. It wasn’t out of loathing; it was merely that the pair were quiet by nature and didn’t divulge personal information so easily. Many times, they would sit quietly together for long periods. Kurapika often wondered why Izunavi became a vampire hunter to begin with but didn’t ask him. In turn, Izunavi didn’t force Kurapika to talk about his experiences. Kurapika learned more about his master by observation than anything else. One of Izunavi’s main hobbies was landscape painting. His master had dozens of scrolls of different landscapes he’s seen over the years. Kurapika was able to spend hours looking at every brushstroke while Izunavi went into further details about the area.

After spending about a month in an area, they would pack up and move on. During these times, Kurapika learned many skills needed to survive. He learned to sew and repair his clothes as well as basic first aid. Occasionally, they would go on scavenging runs for supplies they couldn’t get in the wild, such as medicine. It was during these that Kurapika’s master taught him how to move without making a sound. In one of the safe havens, Izunavi spread out noisy items and told Kurapika to cross to the other side without any noise. Kurapika exceeded Izunavi’s expectations and was quickly mastering the technique.

“Kurapika, when’s your birthday?” Izunavi asked one day. Kurapika was reading one of the books he found while scavenging. The Kurta became suspicious, why was he asking this now?

“Does it matter?” Kurapika replied.

“Well I was going to get you a present, but if you don’t want anything…” Izunavi dragged out his words, baiting Kurapika into replying.

“You don’t have to do anything special for my birthday.” Kurapika told him. He heard Izunavi sigh in annoyance, obviously tired of his protégé’s uncooperative behavior.

“Okay then, I supposed you aren’t ready to start training with weapons. We’ll hold off another year for that.” Izunavi barely finished speaking when Kurapika jumped up with excitement.

“Seriously?! It’s April 4th! I turn thirteen this year!” Kurapika answered.

“Seriously, you have such a one-track mind… well that’s not too far away, so we’ll start weapons training then.” Izunavi said with a chuckle. Kurapika blinked. Was his birthday really so close? He had lost all sense of time during his training. Kurapika was never one to get excited for his birthday, but now he had something to look forward to.

\----------------

**A few weeks later**

The training grounds this time was a clearing in a forest not too different from Lukso. There were many branches large enough to hold a person’s weight. Currently, Kurapika was sitting in front of a tree stump while Izunavi went to grab some materials for training. In his hands was a knife that Izunavi gave him that evening. The knife was so light in his hands. Yet Kurapika knew this tool could maim and kill. He didn’t want to take it out of its sheath. Instead, he practiced some moves with his bokken while he waited for his master to return from wherever he went. Eventually, Izunavi returned dragging behind him a skeleton hanging on a mobile rack.

“That’s not real is it?” Kurapika asked, eyeing the skeleton with confusion.

“What? No. It’s plastic.” To emphasize his point, Izunavi knocked on the skull a couple times. “We don’t need it to be real for our purposes. It’s just a reference. Now then, tell me the ways you can kill a vampire.”

“Ojigi oil, decapitation, stake through the heart, and sunlight.” Kurapika answered. His mind conjured up Camilla’s shriek at the last word.

Izunavi nodded in approval. “Very close, only a few things were incorrect. Decapitation works because it cuts the body off from the brain. Destroy the brain, kill the vampire. Secondly, it’s not just a stake, as long as the heart is destroyed, anything can work. Fire is effective as well, but we won’t be using that method. The two methods we will be focusing on is destroying the brain and heart. However, that is also difficult, can you see why?”

Kurapika studied the skeleton quickly before answering. “They are protected by bones.”

“Precisely. There are two ways to deal with this: break through it or go around it. The skull and thoracic cage are meant to withstand significant amount of trauma before breaking. It takes a lot of force to break through them. I carry a crossbow for such purposes.” Izunavi went through his bag and pulled out said device. “It has a lot of power behind it, but it takes a long time to reload.”

“The second method is a technique I spent years perfecting. It is difficult to use on a moving target, but it is a powerful ambush technique.” Izunavi started as unsheathed his knife. “Now the heart is not completely behind the sternum here.” Izunavi tapped on the central bone of the rib cage. “It is a little more to the left. The trick is to stick the blade between the third and fourth ribs in an upward angle.” Izunavi showed the technique as he explained. “It will instantly kill a vampire.”

Kurapika nodded, his face set with grim determination. This is what he needed to learn. It wasn’t just knives Kurapika was taught to use. He was taught how to use the wire that Izunavi used as well. He continued to master his bokken until they became an extension of his own arms. His master taught him many ambush techniques that he picked up over the years.

“When searching for something, a habit both vampires and humans have is they often don’t look directly above them.” Izunavi explained. “We have very few aerial threats that occur in nature, so we often look for things at eye level.” His master then made him spend the rest of the day scaling trees as fast as possible.

Once again, time became meaningless as he practiced every night to train. His determination drove him forward, mastering many techniques faster than Izunavi could have ever anticipated. The man watched his protégé with both awe and fear. He could see the rage hidden behind those grey eyes sometimes. It swam just beneath the surface, waiting for an excuse to come out. There were many times during Kurapika’s training that Izunavi wondered if he was making a mistake.

\----------------

As months past, Kurapika grew more confident in his abilities. He wanted to test them, but Izunavi still held him back. His impatience increased until finally, Izunavi finally sat him down to explain the final thing Kurapika was lacking.

“Magic?” Kurapika asked, skeptical.

“Yes. It is the greatest advantage that we have over vampires. Every human has the potential to use magic while vampires can’t.” Izunavi explained.

“Okay, but why did you wait so long to tell me this?” Kurapika was still skeptical. It seemed too farfetched to be true, but his master was never one to lie.

“Every person’s magic is unique to them. I had hoped that it would show itself while you were training but that wasn’t the case.” Izunavi unscrewed the cap off his canteen and sipped from it. He offered some to Kurapika, who didn’t even notice the canteen in front of him. He had retreated to his thoughts. He remembered Ponzu and her bees, how she could control them with her mind alone. ‘ _I’ve been able to do this since I was little._ ’ She had told him back then. Kurapika gasped sharply as he remembered something else.

“The seed!” He cried out loud.

“The what now?” Izunavi asked. Kurapika then told him the incident in the shower with the seed. How he could feel it but he didn’t see it. Izunavi stroked his chin in thought.

“Interesting… It sounds like your magic can make things invisible to the naked eye.” He finally said.

“Why is that?” Kurapika asked.

Izunavi lowered his hand and sighed. “I couldn’t tell you. The nuances of magic have been lost to humanity for centuries.”

This news was frustrating to Kurapika. “How am I supposed to improve my magic?”

“Practice. Now that you know your magic, you can develop it over time. I can’t really help you in that area.” His master explained. He took a swig from his canteen. Kurapika watched him patiently, waiting for him to continue. “Most of the humans who use magic are vampire hunters and it varies wildly from person to person. Some hunters rely entirely on their magic when they fight. Others don’t.”

“Which one are you?” Kurapika asked.

“The latter. My magic isn’t fit for combat. Let me show you. Give me your bokken.” Kurapika handed Izunavi his swords without question. His master set them in front of him and then held out his hands over them. Kurapika watched with wonder as a golden glow enshrouded his bokken. As the light faded, Izunavi handed the bokken back to Kurapika.

“My magic can imbue certain qualities onto objects. I have just strengthened your bokken so it won’t break as easily. Though a particularly strong vampire might be able to break it if they tried.”

Kurapika frowned as he studied his bokken. He wished his master could have given him a better enchantment, but he could make do with it. His master looked at him knowingly.

“The more complicated the trait, the more stress it puts on me. I put a strong enhancement on an item once, and it literally aged me. So, I stick to simple ones."

“What enhancement was it?”

His master smiled and pulled out a dusty box from under his feet and sat it on the tree stump in front of Kurapika. Kurapika unlatched it and opened the lid. Inside, there were five rings with chains on them. At the end of each chain were wicked looking knives. Despite the obvious age of the box, the chains look brand new.

“This was the first item I ever enhanced. The metal absorbs sunlight, so they can burn any vampire they come into contact with. I also unconsciously added other traits. They never rust. They can expand and contract up to fifteen feet. And their tensile strength is beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

“If they are as good as you say, why haven’t you used them?” Kurapika asked incredulously. These weapons seemed too good to be true. At the question, his master took off his shirt and showed Kurapika horrible scars that went across his torso.

“These weapons are tricky to handle. I almost died trying to master them. For now, let’s focus on magic. I don’t need a dead apprentice on my hands.” Izunavi said with a knowing smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Insert "Make a Man Out of You" training montage here.  
> \- In actuality, the humans in my story are not domesticated. Domestication is done at a genetic level via selective breeding until the animal is genetically different from its wild counterpart. This has not happened because luckily, the vampires did not think to do this. However, the average person in this world would probably not understand the technicalities of domestication so that's how they explain it.  
> \- In order to explain some of these moves, I actually sparred with my dad who is retired military.  
> \- Izunavi realized he may have created a monster.
> 
> Please rate and review!


	11. The Exchange House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been busy on many projects and haven't had the chance to work on my stories. Sorry for the wait guys! Hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS!

**Chapter 11: The Exchange House**

_\----------------_

_“Use everything to your advantage. Fight dirty. Any chance to slip up your opponent should be taken. If your opponent has pride, insult it. Make them lose their cool. However, that method can work both ways; always be in control of the situation and not the other way around. I’m saying that because you have a temper. Your opponent can easily provoke you to anger. Never lose control of yourself in a fight.”_

_\----------------_

For some reason, those chains would not leave Kurapika’s head. It seemed like a waste to just leave them in a box unused. Currently, he was lying on his bedroll in an old mill not far from the forest they were in. Any attempts at going to sleep were thwarted by his active mind. His nervousness at facing his nightmares and his thoughts on the chains kept him awake. Kurapika turned over and looked at his master’s sleeping form. Even Izunavi, a successful vampire hunter, couldn’t master the chains he made. Using all five at the moment would be impossible, but what if…

Silently, Kurapika removed the blanket off himself and got into a kneeling position. While he did annoy Izunavi at times, Kurapika wasn’t one to actively disobey his master. A pang of guilt his him at the thought of what he was about to do, but he pushed it down. He crept over to Izunavi’s duffle bag and opened it carefully as to not jostle the items inside it. His eyes found the box containing the chains. He opened the lid slightly and took one of the rings. His heartrate jumped in excitement, but he still needed to get outside. The jingling of the chains could awaken Izunavi. Carefully, he crept outside into the sun filled clearing. Once he was sure his master wasn’t awake, Kurapika let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

He slipped the ring onto his right index finger. The chain dangled heavily off his finger. He couldn’t have it out like this all the time, it would be dangerous. If he had something under his sleeve, like a bracelet, to act as a sheath, that would be ideal. He could make one out of leather during his down time. For now, Kurapika would focus on mastering this one chain without hurting himself. Izunavi said that the chains could expand and contract up to fifteen feet. Kurapika spotted the target he’d been using for crossbow practice. It was the one thing Kurapika couldn’t get the hang of. The heavy contraption felt awkward in his hands, and reloading it was frustrating and slow.

Maybe he could do better with the chains.

Working on instinct, Kurapika thrust out his hand, pointing at the target. The chain hanging off from his finger suddenly sprang to life and launch itself towards his destination. The chain grew in length until the blade at the end sunk into the wood with a satisfying thud. Kurapika pumped his fist, he did it! His excitement faded as he finally realized the true dangers of the chains. Retracting the chain could easy result in the blade whiplashing and cutting him in the process. Yet, keeping the chains out could allow a vampire with a high pain tolerance to grab the chain and pull him towards them.

Kurapika racked his brain to figure out what to do. He’d need to retract it fast, yet slow enough to not whiplash out of control. Another realization was that Kurapika had no idea how to retract the chains. He wasn’t sure how he got them to extend in the first place. He mentally berated himself for being so impulsive. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the chain out from the wood. The dagger end was removed from the wood and simply fell to the ground with a rattle. It was an underwhelming result. Did the chains react to the wielder’s will? Kurapika closed his eyes imagined what he wanted: the chain retracting in a straight path until it was back to its original position. He heard the chains again and he opened his eyes. The chains dragged themselves across the forest floor at a slow pace. Kurapika focused on the chains and they sped up quickly, retracting towards him with great speed. The Kurta stood his ground, worried that running would make him lose all control. Focusing again, the chain simply dropped to the ground again. So Kurapika’s theory was correct; it was a matter of will power.

He spent the next several hours throwing and retracting the chain. Experimenting with how his will affects the chains. Afterwards, he snuck back into the mill and put the chain back where he got it. Kurapika planned on spending a few hours each day mastering the chains. Trying to get enough sleep and getting practice in would be a challenge; one Kurapika accepted eagerly.

\----------------

As the sun sank, Kurapika and Izunavi got up for the day. The man prepared a small breakfast of fruits and some venison for them and they settled down to eat. As the pair ate their breakfast, Kurapika broke the silence by thanking Izunavi. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“You’re welcome? What brought this on?” He asked his protégé. Kurapika stared at his food with a neutral expression, only the tenseness of his jaw betrayed his emotions.

“I realized that I never thanked you for saving me or taking care of me. I wanted to correct that.” He told Izunavi.

The man nodded in understanding. “You’re welcome.” Yet the tenseness in the atmosphere did not go away, it seemed Kurapika still had something on his mind. Izunavi patiently, trying to force him to speak would have the opposite effect.

“Before I left my village. The last thing I did was have an argument with Elder Horn and said I hated him. I ran away angry, so angry I didn’t say goodbye to my parents or my best friend. I couldn’t forgive myself if that happened again.” Kurapika told him. Izunavi recognized the importance of this. Kurapika wasn’t one to talk about his past openly. The fact he was doing this now showed how much trust the boy was giving him. It hit Izunavi how abruptly Kurapika’s childhood ended. Unlike other children, Kurapika knew nothing of the world and its dangers until recently, when his entire life was destroyed. The boy in front of him acted far older than his age. Then he remembered Kurapika’s reactions to his paintings. His eyes lit up and the rage was replaced with curiosity.

“Right then, I’ve come to a decision.” Izunavi declared, standing up abruptly. Kurapika looked at him confused, so the man continued. “I’m taking you with me to the exchange house.”

Kurapika couldn’t contain his gasp. “Really?”

“Yes. I figure a change of pace wouldn’t hurt.” Izunavi explained. He would allow Kurapika any chance to be a kid he could find. The exchange house would have a lot of new things for him to discover.

\----------------

Izunavi would normally go to an exchange house alone while Kurapika practiced. He imagined that getting to and from any location would be dangerous enough without an inexperienced child getting in the way. Kurapika had no idea what changed his master’s mind, but he wasn’t going to argue. When hearing the phrase ‘exchange house’, Kurapika thought of a large building similar in Kurta design, inside there’d be rows of items on shelves that one could pick up and barter for with the housekeeper. Instead, the exchange house was an abandoned railyard. The railroad tracks were orange with rust. Kurapika almost felt himself getting tetanus just looking at it. The trade house itself was apparently inside a train. The vehicle seemed to stretch for miles with different cars. Years of neglect had eroded the metal, leaving large holes.

“So how do we get their attention?” Kurapika asked.

“We already have it. We’re being watched as we speak.” His master replied, looking straight ahead. Kurapika looked around the area, trying to find who was watching them. It was futile effort as he couldn’t see anything. The area was eerily quiet which made Kurapika anxious. Izunavi lead them to a particularly large box car. Its door was closed shut. Izunavi rapped his hand on the door in a certain rhythm.

“Was that ‘Shave and a Haircut’?” Kurapika asked, a smiled tugged at his lips.

“Yup. The mistress of this house was quite mischievous in her day.” Izunavi replied. Just then the door opened. The man behind the door was a smaller man with small eyes and large glasses. His hair grew in a violet mohawk. He had an impish smile on his face.

“Well this is a surprise. Has the legendary Heart Breaker come out from retirement?” The man asked.

“No, Lippo, I’m still retired. I do need supplies for me and my apprentice though. Can we come in?”

The man, Lippo, nodded while still smiling. “Of course! You’ve been cleared for a while now.” He stepped aside and the pair entered. There were a dozen other people in the car. They seemed relax as they chatted, laughed. There were even couches that some were on sitting and drinking what looked like tea. At the end of the car sitting on a cushion was a small old woman. She seemed to be sleeping while sitting up. Kurapika was once again overwhelmed by all the new things.

“I know you have questions, let’s hear them.” His master offered.

The boy could barely contain his excitement. He wasn’t sure what to ask first. “Why did that man call you Heart Breaker?” Kurapika finally asked.

Izunavi exhaled and crossed his arms. “Hunters usually deploy a variety of techniques, but we often have a signature style that sets us apart. The vampires sometimes give us names. I was called Heart Breaker for that technique I showed you. Not very creative, I know, but vampires usually aren’t.”

Kurapika nodded before retreating into his thoughts. Since most hunters worked in groups, did they all get called the same thing? Or did they know that his master worked alone? He noticed they were walking towards the woman on the cushion. Izunavi got onto his knees and kowtowed in front of her. Noticing this, Kurapika quickly mimicked his master. The woman jerked awake and looked in their direction, yet it didn’t seem she didn’t quite see them.

“Isaac? Is that you?” She asked, her voice hoarse.

“No, Miss Linne, It’s Izunavi. I’ve come to trade.” Izunavi answered.

“I see. Go ahead then. Say hi to Megumi for me.” Miss Linne replied before falling back asleep. Izunavi bowed again and headed off to gather his supplies. Kurapika was curious about this ‘Megumi’ the woman spoke of but decided to not to ask, respecting the man’s privacy. When he learned he was going to the exchange house, Kurapika asked if he could do his own bartering as well. Finding a tanner, Kurapika traded three deer hides in exchange for one tanned leather. It could be enough to make a bracelet sheath for the chains with extra material for other projects. Once he got what he required, Kurapika amused himself by seeing what else was available.

The majority of those in the exchange house were vampire hunters if the weapons they carried had anything to go by. Most seemed to be in pairs or in groups of three or more. It seemed Izunavi was the outlier in working alone. His master told him that almost all feral humans use exchange houses. Maybe some exchange houses were more suited for hunters while others were not. Kurapika wanted to visit other exchange houses to test his theory. Despite his initial skepticism, the exchange house was exciting to explore.

The people in the exchange house were just as curious of Kurapika as well. His arrival with Izunavi was unexpected. Several hunters approached him and asked him questions. Was it true you’re Izunavi’s apprentice? How did you meet him? Has he taught you the Heart Breaker technique yet? The sudden attention made Kurapika nervous and he quickly retreated behind Izunavi. The man ruffled his blond hair much to the annoyance of Kurapika. When he saw the scowl on the Kurta’s face, Izunavi realized Kurapika’s tolerance for social interaction had reached its limit. The boy was too much like his master in many aspects. He quickly finished up trading for crossbow bolts and headed back to the mill the pair were staying at.

“Who was that old woman, master?” Kurapika asked as soon as they were far enough away from everyone else.

“Her name is Linne Horsdoeuvre, and she is a rarity amongst humans in this world: She has reached old age. This is especially rare as a vampire hunter. So, she is revered for her wisdom and experience.” Izunavi explained.

“Wisdom…” Kurapika said, trying not to sound disbelieving. Linne reminded Kurapika of some of the elders back in his village. Those whose minds had faded over time. They were honored, of course. But Kurapika wouldn’t go to them for advice.

A chuckle was heard from his master. “She has her days. Honestly, I believe that she might be faking it for her amusement. Don’t forget, a vampire hunter’s most powerful tool is the ability to deceive their prey. Nothing can lower a vampire’s guard more than that.” Izunavi stroked his shaggy beard in thought at that. Kurapika couldn’t find any fault in that logic.

“Why is old age so rare?” Kurapika asked. He thought about every possible reason and came up with nothing.

Izunavi sighed. He seemed uncomfortable with the question. “Humans require constant food, water, sleep, and many other things to stay alive and healthy. For vampires, meeting the requirements for so many humans is not easy or cheap. Those who are affirmed, such as the elderly, require more care than others. And the elderly cannot supply blood regularly without risking their health. So, in the vampires’ eyes… they are not considered a worthwhile investment…”

Kurapika became silent at that. He felt as if he swallowed a stone. The idea was both uneasy and appalling to him. His mind came up with horrible scenarios for him. To get his mind off it, Kurapika took out the leather he got from the exchange house and made mental calculations on how to fashion a bracelet. The most he’s done in terms of tailoring was sew up holes in his clothes.

When they returned to the mill, Izunavi had him practice the ‘Heart Breaker’ technique. His master made it look easy, but there was little room for error which led to Kurapika constantly hitting the ribs. As sun slowly turned the sky orange, Izunavi ended training and they ate dinner together. Normally, they ate their meals in silence, but his master suddenly spoke up.

“Megumi was my wife.” He explained suddenly. Kurapika looked up from his food in confusion.

“I see. Why are you telling me this?” Kurapika asked. He pointedly ignored the usage of past tense.

Izunavi smiled sadly. “You told me a little bit about your past this morning. I figured I should tell you some of mine in return. Linne was the one who ordained us. Normally, people just decide they are married and that’s it. But Megumi found a book depicting weddings that vampires would have when they got married. I was completely against it, but Megumi somehow convinced me to go along. We stole the nicest clothes we could and prepared what little dessert you could find out here.”

“The reception wasn’t that big, maybe a dozen people. We had a radio and danced all night. Linne had even found this camera to get a picture. Except the damn thing fell apart as someone tried to take the photo. That wedding was the best night of my life…” Izunavi’s voice faded as he got caught in the nostalgia. The Kurta watched his master patiently. Eventually Izunavi seemed to come back to the present.

“You shouldn’t have to listen to an old man ramble on. Let’s go to bed.” Izunavi suggested.

Kurapika nodded. “Very well. Good night, master.” He finished his food and walked over to his bedroll.

“Oi! That was your cue to say: ‘You’re not that old, master!’” Izunavi told him. Kurapika faced away from the man to hide his amused smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- The thing that bothered me with Kurapika's chains is what happened to them while they were up his sleeve. Did the pointy bits just disappear? It's never explained! This was my answer to that question.  
> \- Crossbows have a lot of firepower, but they are a pain to reload. You need a crank to get the string back in place there's so much tension there.  
> \- I placed this exchange house in a train to show how humans have to use what they have. Basho and Baise's log cabin is quaint in comparison.  
> \- When I was on painkillers, I imagined vampire hunter trading cards and that amused me.  
> \- Bonding time! 
> 
> Please rate and review!

**Author's Note:**

> \- Kurapika's a pistol when he's 12.  
> \- I made it so that the Kurta's don't actually farm animals.  
> \- As with Unleashed, this story is also named for an Epica song. I might be an Epica fan you guys


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